WORK AND PUBLIC LIFE

Shanghai has published two white lists comprising nearly 2,000 companies prioritized to resume operations.

Officials say they are focused on helping suppliers to restart work to expand the scale of factory resumption, but companies not involved in manufacturing would for now be asked to continue with work-from-home arrangements.

More supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies reopened yesterday, while hair salons, vegetable markets and laundry-related businesses will also be gradually allowed to receive visitors.

Movie theaters, museums, cultural venues, gyms must remain closed for now.

Schools, which suspended inperson classes in March, will reopen in stages, giving priority to students who will take college and high-school entrance exams soon.

Kindergartens and nursery schools will remain closed. College students are allowed to return home.

Some parks in the city’s suburban districts such as Fengxian reopened yesterday but capped visitors at 50 percent of capacity and required negative PCR tests taken within the last 48 hours.

Residents have been told to prepare for frequent COVID testing and more intense monitoring after they exit the lockdown.

More than 9,000 permanent PCR testing stations have been set up in Shanghai, and residents will be required to produce negative tests taken within 48 hours to enter public venues such as Metro stations.