Shanghai gradually returning to normal

Shanghai will stick to the dynamic zero-COVID strategy and strengthen epidemic control as it moves to gradually bring life, production and business back to normal, officials said on Friday.

The city reported three new asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in precautionary zones in Qingpu district on Thursday, three days after the city announced it had achieved the status of zero-COVID beyond its quarantine and lockdown populations. Residents in precautionary zones are allowed to go outside their compounds, so they are not considered as quarantined or locked-down populations.

Ze'an village of Qingpu was classified as a medium-risk zone after three cases－two parents and their son－were found. The restaurant, supermarket and two shopping malls they had visited have been temporarily closed for disinfection. Their 18 close contacts and 20 secondary contacts have been identified, with all of them testing negative for COVID-19, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of Shanghai Health Commission, at a news briefing on Friday.

"We will stick to the dynamic zero-COVID policy, normalize epidemic prevention measures and quick response, and strengthen controls according to different risk levels," said Zhao.

Shanghai reported 88 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 770 asymptomatic carriers, including the three found in Ze'an, on Thursday.

At the same time, the city's authority for garbage cleaning and landscaping has launched a citywide cleaning and landscape restoration campaign to help bring the city back to normalcy. Zhu Xinjun, an official with Shanghai Landscape and City Appearance Bureau, said the bureau is working on cleaning up foam packages and waste that have been piling up over the past weeks because of the surge of deliveries and irregular garbage collection. The cleanup will last until the end of May and residents will be required to dispose of their sorted trash in designated time slots to ensure separate transportation of domestic garbage, kitchen waste and recyclables, starting on June 1, Zhu said.

Maintenance of the city's parks has also started and more parks in the city's downtown area will reopen to the public following those in the suburban districts of Fengxian and Jinshan, which will open on June 1. However, access to indoor and amusement facilities are still not allowed, Zhu said.

A total of 850 public toilets have been reopened and the bureau is working on the rest to ensure all of them are back in operation by the end of June, Zhu added.

Wholesale markets for agricultural produce will also soon be in operation, said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Commerce. She said the commission has been designing an epidemic control management plan for each market.

People working in the wholesale market will be put under closed-loop management, wear personal protective equipment and take daily antigen and nucleic acid tests, while people coming into the market will need to show negative test results taken within 48 hours, take one on-site antigen test, and scan the code of the site, Liu said.

Vehicles entering the market need to be registered and the drivers must not leave the cab unless necessary, she added.