Will China Announce 'Zero COVID' Exit Strategy? Shanghai to Allow Supermarkets and More Starting Tomorrow

A healthcare worker is collecting a specimen from a resident for a COVID-19 test in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the capital of China. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Shanghai, China, which has been under lockdown for 49 days due to the 'Zero COVID' (strict quarantine measures) policy, is expected to gradually restore commercial functions starting from the 16th.

On the 15th, Chen Tong, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, announced at a quarantine briefing that based on the principles of 'gradual reopening, limited population movement, and effective control,' they will begin to progressively restore commercial activities from the 16th.

Shanghai stated that it will allow offline operations for certain sectors such as shopping centers, department stores, supermarkets, marts, convenience stores, pharmacies, markets, and hair and beauty salons, with a condition of reduced capacity compared to normal.

Restaurants will also be permitted to operate delivery services.

The previous day, residents spotted subway trains running in various parts of Shanghai. Since all subway lines in Shanghai are currently suspended, there has been speculation among citizens that this might have been a test run in preparation for a full resumption of operations.

Earlier, Shanghai announced that if 'Zero COVID in the community' is achieved by mid-month, the lockdown would be gradually lifted, and it appears that the implementation phase has now begun.

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