The Chinese financial metropolis of Shanghai will partially abolish the corona test requirement on Monday. Residents would then 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 on Sunday.
The city, which has a population of more than 23 million, was locked down for months this year, which has hit the domestic economy hard. Shanghai follows the example of several Chinese cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Chengdu, which lifted all public transport testing on Saturday. Since Saturday, Beijing residents no longer have to give their name when buying fever and cold medicines, as before.
Chinese regions react differently to protests
Following protests against its strict zero-Covid policy last week, China has started easing some of the corona measures that have been in place for months. In addition to the testing obligation, this also applies to the quarantine regulations.
When it comes to easing, not all regions proceed in the same way. For example, the northeastern city of Jinzhou declared on Thursday that it would adhere to the lockdown because “it would be a shame if we fail to achieve zero Covid”. The next day, after a public outcry, she retracted the announcement. Officials in the eastern city of Jinan said residents will still need to scan a health code and show a negative test result to use public toilets as of Sunday.
The nationwide protests were sparked by a house fire in the northwestern city of Urumqi that killed 10 people. Critics blamed the corona lockdowns on not being able to save people from the fire. What started with protests against the strict measures soon turned against President Xi Jinping (69) and the Communist Party in general. (AFP/channel)