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Shanghai rules out citywide Covid-19 lockdown to protect China’s economy
- Health expert rejects calls for swift, broad action, urging residents to think of the big picture
- Hundreds of cases found during mass screening among people not in quarantine, pointing to fresh chains of transmission
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Health authorities in Shanghai have rejected calls for a swift lockdown to contain a Covid-19 outbreak, citing the potential impact on the national and global economy.
“I saw the proposal online saying why can’t we make up our minds to lock the city down for three, five days or even a week?” Wu Fan, an expert member of Shanghai’s Covid-19 response task force, said on Saturday.
“No, we can’t, because Shanghai is not only home to Shanghai residents. It plays an important role in national economic and social development and even affects the global economy.
“If the city came to a complete stop, there would be a lot of international cargo left floating on the East China Sea, which would have an impact on the national and global economy. All Shanghai citizens should have such a big picture view.”
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Locked down in Shanghai: China’s biggest city grapples with its worst Covid outbreak since 2020
Locked down in Shanghai: China’s biggest city grapples with its worst Covid outbreak since 2020
The assessment came as the city recorded 2,269 new coronavirus cases, including 2,231 people yet to show symptoms, the highest total in the three-week outbreak.
Based in Beijing, Zhuang Pinghui joined the Post in 2004 to report on China. She covers a range of issues including policy, healthcare, culture and society.
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