By Brenda Goh and Martin Quin Pollard
SHANGHAI/BEIJINGJun 10 – China’s Shanghai shopping mall faces an unexpected round of security tests this weekend. COVID-19 on a large scale for most residents, just 10 days after the city’s lockdown was lifted, unnerving residents and fearing the impact on business.
City authorities, rushing to stem a wider outbreak after discovering a few infections in the community, have ordered tests for PCR to all residents of 14 of Shanghai’s 16 districts over the weekend.
Some districts said residents will not be allowed to leave their homes while tests are being carried out. A notice issued in Changning district described the stay-at-home requirement as a “restricted control” of the community being sampled.
Reactions from people on Chinese messaging platform Weibo were a mix of surprise and concern, with some asking how their plans for the weekend, such as moving house or going to the doctor, would be affected. Many expressed their fear of being confined again.
The move comes on top of already tough verification requirements that Shanghai introduced for its 25 million residents after easing a citywide lockdown on June 1.
Shanghai residents must prove that they have been tested in the last 72 hours to access public spaces such as shopping malls and offices, or even to use the subway and buses.
Although China’s infection rate is low by world standards, Chinese President Xi Jinping has reinforced his “zero infection” policy. COVID“which, according to the authorities, is necessary to protect the elderly and the country’s medical system, even at a time when other countries are trying to live with the virus.
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