Beijing (AP) —Most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus in the community, with less than a million people under strict blockade, officials said Monday. Economic data It showed the pessimistic impact of China’s “Zero Corona” policy.
Deputy Mayor Zhongmin said 15 of the 16 districts in Shanghai have eliminated the virus infection among the unquarantined districts.
“The epidemic in our city has been effectively curbed. Preventive measures are gradually becoming more successful,” he said.
Supermarkets, malls and restaurants were allowed to reopen on Monday, with a limited number of people and mandatory “no contact” transactions, but travel restrictions remained and the subway train system was closed for now. I am.
Even as the number of incidents declines, city and state officials say there are different outbreaks in Shanghai and when many residents will return to normal in 25 million cities trapped in their homes, premises and neighborhoods. I’m sending a message. 50 days. The scheduled date for June 1st has been completely resumed.
Authorities have been “calm” about the possibility of an outbreak rebound, especially with reports of new infections from centralized quarantine centers and old devastated areas.
“Over the city, our preventive efforts are not yet fully established and it requires our continued efforts and the cooperation of a wide range of citizens and friends … in an orderly way of the city. To restore normal operations. “
The implementation of Shanghai’s ruthless and often chaotic virus restrictions has sparked protests against food, medical care, freedom of movement, and the already highly restricted lack of privacy rights.
Nevertheless, China has rejected all criticisms of “Zero Corona,” including the World Health Organization. The ruling Communist Party has stated that it “will resolutely fight any attempt to distort, question, or dismiss China’s anti-COVID policy.”
China reported 1,159 cases of infection on Monday, the majority of which occurred in Shanghai. Almost all were asymptomatic infections.
In Beijing, outbreaks were much less frequent, extensive tests were conducted, blockages were imposed on each building, and 54 cases were reported. Authorities ordered people to work from home, moved schools online, and restricted restaurants to takeaway only in the capital.
China’s strict blockade has hit employment, supply chains and the economy in general, with factory and consumer activity in April even weaker than expected, according to data released Monday.
Retail sales plummeted 11.1%, but manufacturing output fell 2.9% after the factory closed, and companies that continued to work with employees in the workplace cut production due to interruptions in parts supply. I was forced to do it.
About half of Shanghai’s 9,000 largest industrial enterprises returned to work after the controls to close most of the city were relaxed from late March, said Fu Linghui, director of statistics at the National Bureau of Statistics.
Private sector economists have kept China’s economic growth forecast low at 2% this year, well below the ruling party’s target of 5.5%, up 8.1% last year.
Despite such news, politics continues to promote the ruling party’s response to the pandemic. Looking ahead to the major conclaves later this year, the leader said after the May 5 meeting, containment of the outbreak would be prioritized over the economy.
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The Associated Press writer Joe Macdonald contributed to this report.