Shanghai Tightens Anti-COVID Measures Amid Surging Cases

On Thursday, Wu Jinglei, the director of Shanghai municipal health commission, announced that his city has carried out stringent measures to curb its latest COVID-19 outbreak after the city registered over 100 local infections in the last 48 hours.

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“As a major port city in China, Shanghai has been vigorously identifying imported cases while preventing domestic resurgence, which is a big challenge,” Wu said, recalling that this megacity, with a population of nearly 25 million, has logged 1,243 confirmed COVID-19 cases arriving from outside the Chinese mainland over the last two months.

Zhang Wenhong, head of the Center for Infectious Diseases with the Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, said although the severity of COVID-19 has weakened due to factors including rising vaccination rate, the virus became easier to spread and more difficult to detect. Subsequent prevention and control of COVID-19 may become a more daunting task.

Faced with a grim situation, Shanghai has responded quickly, focusing on tracing the origins of the virus, pushing forward mass nucleic acid tests, and carrying out timely quarantine and medical treatment.

Medical institutions in Shanghai have strengthened category-based treatment and hierarchical management of medical services. For example, pregnant women, children, and patients with critical illnesses who need hemodialysis, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, are given priority.

Shanghai's transport authorities have asked residents to wear masks and have their temperatures taken while using public transportation. Subway trains and buses are required to keep good ventilation, while taxis should not travel to medium or high-risk areas.

The Shanghai Municipal Education Commission has further optimized and upgraded resources of online courses, with some schools adopting online teaching. Shanghai has also suspended cross-provincial group tours. Cultural, tourism, and science venues, including the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, are temporarily closed.