The Chinese financial metropolis of Shanghai will partially abolish the corona test requirement on Monday. Residents will therefore no longer have to show a negative test result no older than 48 hours to use public transport and enter outdoor areas such as parks and tourist attractions, authorities said Sunday.
The city, which has a population of more than 23 million, was closed for months this year, which hit the national economy hard. Shanghai is following the example of several Chinese cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Chengdu, which all lifted public transport tests on Saturday. Since Saturday, residents in Beijing no longer have to provide their names when buying cold and fever medicines, as they used to.
After protests against its strict zero-Covid policy last week, China has started to ease some of the months-old coronavirus measures. In addition to the testing obligation, this also applies to quarantine regulations.
When it comes to easing, not all regions fare the same. The northeastern city of Jinzhou, for example, announced on Thursday it would abide by the lockdown because “it would be a shame if we fail to achieve zero Covid”. The next day, after a public outcry, he withdrew the ad.
Officials in the eastern city of Jinan said Sunday residents still need to scan a health code and show a negative test result to use public toilets.
Nationwide protests were sparked by a house fire in the northwestern city of Urumqi, where a fire killed ten people. Critics have blamed the corona lockdowns for the fact that people couldn’t be saved from the fire. What began with protests against the tough measures quickly turned against President Xi and the Communist Party in general.
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