Shanghai Lockdown May Break Wuhan's 76-Day Record... Chinese State Media Mention Since June 8

Passed Shanghai's Long Tunnel but Strengthens 'Zero COVID' to Prevent Recurrence
Xi Jinping Visits Wuhan After 48 Days of Lockdown, Attention on Possible Shanghai Inspection

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese state media reported that the Shanghai community may continue to fight the COVID-19 Omicron variant until June 8. This implies that the lockdown in Shanghai, which began on March 28, could be lifted after June 8. There are concerns that the lockdown period might even surpass the 76 days of the Wuhan lockdown, depending on the situation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Attention is also focused on whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Shanghai. President Xi visited Wuhan 48 days into its lockdown to encourage Wuhan citizens and medical staff.

The state-run Global Times reported on the 11th that the total confirmed cases in Shanghai were 1,487 (1,259 asymptomatic) under the headline "Lowest daily tally since March 24 in Shanghai, community-level struggle may be needed until June 8." The media emphasized that this was the lowest number of daily confirmed cases since March 24.

It also added that all infection cases were confirmed within quarantine groups, so there is no concern about further spread. The Global Times stated that the Chinese government's "zero COVID" policy has proven effective and that the Shanghai community has nearly passed through the long tunnel of epidemic prevention policies.

A senior official from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, "Shanghai went through a bleak period with more than 20,000 new daily confirmed cases," and added, "The decrease in daily new infections in Shanghai shows that China's epidemic prevention policy was effective in suppressing COVID-19."

The Global Times conveyed the words of Chinese epidemic prevention experts who said that since the results were hard-won, epidemic prevention policies must be further strengthened to prevent recurrence. It also cited a study estimating COVID-19 cases from Ruijin Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, mentioning that efforts to eradicate community infections in Shanghai could continue until June 8.

On the 46th day of the lockdown, Shanghai currently has 17.97 million of its total population of 25 million under restricted movement within specific time frames and zones, while the rest of the population remains under complete lockdown.

President Xi's encouragement visit to Shanghai is also a matter of interest. He visited Wuhan on March 10, 2020, 48 days into the lockdown, expressing gratitude for the sacrifices and contributions of Wuhan citizens that led to improvements in epidemic control. Thirty days later, the Wuhan lockdown was lifted. Reflecting on the Wuhan case, it is expected that President Xi will inspect Shanghai when confirmed cases show a clear downward trend.

Among major Chinese cities, Wuhan had the longest lockdown period, while Xi'an's lockdown was lifted after 33 days. According to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University study, if the Shanghai lockdown is lifted after June 8, it is possible that Shanghai will break Wuhan's record.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed displeasure yesterday at the remarks by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who pointed out that China's zero COVID policy is unsustainable. The Ministry urged Director-General Ghebreyesus to refrain from irresponsible comments. It clearly stated that "China will win the fight against the pandemic and contribute to global health," affirming its commitment to the zero COVID prevention policy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.