Shanghai quick to contain coronavirus outbreak

Meticulous measures prove effective

If everything goes according to plan, lockdowns at a residential neighborhood and a major hospital in downtown Shanghai will end on Thursday after two weeks.

Zhang Wenhong, head of the city's COVID-19 clinical experts team, said controlling the outbreak in Shanghai, which has a population of more than 24 million, was "like catching mice in a porcelain shop".

During the latest outbreak, the city took steps to ensure its vibrant business activity continued and that people's lives were not disrupted unnecessarily.

In the past week, new COVID-19 cases were reported in Shanghai only on Saturday, with both of them discovered during testing of people linked to confirmed cases.

A hospital employee who was among medical workers tested on Jan 20 was confirmed to have COVID-19 the following day.

A total of 18 locally transmitted cases have been reported during the new outbreak in the city.

The Shanghai Municipal Health Commission said more than 55,000 people linked to the confirmed cases were screened and placed in quarantine as necessary.