Intl flights to Shanghai rescheduled amid COVID-19 resurgence

SHANGHAI - China's aviation regulator said Tuesday that to alleviate the pressure on epidemic prevention and control in Shanghai, 106 international flights of 22 air routes scheduled to arrive in the city will be diverted elsewhere from March 21 to May 1.

The diversions will take flights to 12 airports in other major Chinese cities, including Chengdu, Dalian, Fuzhou and Hangzhou, said the regulator.

The eastern Chinese metropolis of Shanghai has registered a cluster of new local infections recently. From Monday midnight to 3 pm on Tuesday, the city reported four new locally transmitted COVID-19 confirmed cases and 101 locally transmitted asymptomatic carriers, officials said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Of the newly confirmed infections, three were detected during the city's closed management of residents under quarantine. Sixty-six of the new local asymptomatic carriers were also found during closed management and the others during screenings of risk groups.

So far, all the new local infections have been sent to a designated hospital for further medical observation or treatment, said the municipal health commission.

The city has implemented precise and comprehensive epidemic prevention and control measures to curb the spread of the virus, while minimizing possible impacts on the normal lives of its citizens.

Shanghai's working units and enterprises outside the key areas under closed management have been asked to carry out staggered working hours. If possible, employees in such establishments should work from home for a period, said Gu Honghui, deputy secretary general of the municipal government during the press conference.

The city has also established an investigation team to look into a possible case of dereliction of duty at a local designated quarantine hotel, Hua Ting Hotel & Towers.

At present, residents in Shanghai are urged not to leave the city unless necessary. From March 12, those who need to leave the city must provide negative nucleic acid tests taken within the previous 48 hours.