China has announced that the city of Shanghai, with 25 million of residents, will be locked down in two stages with the eastern side of the city under restrictions from Monday until 1 April, and the western side from 1-5 April after reporting more than 10,000 asymptomatic Covid-19 cases over the last 8 days.
Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, Fengxian District, Jinshan District, Chongming District and Pujiang Town are among the first batch of areas to be locked down to avoid the spread of Covid-19 that could destabilize its economic growth.
Following the lockdown measure, public transport will be suspended, ride-hailing services and private cars will be banned, unless essential, while firms and factories must halt operations or work remotely.
China is averaging 1,863 new Covid cases for the past seven days.
