Songjiang precautionary areas start getting exit permits

RESIDENTS living in precautionary areas in Songjiang District have been granted neighborhood exit permits since May 1.

After Songjiang achieved its “dynamic zero-COVID” goal on April 24, the district looked at issuing exit permits to some residents while strictly carrying out management of locked-down, controlled and precautionary areas based on results of the latest screenings.

From May 1, residents in the district’s precautionary areas have been receiving neighborhood exit permits. Each household is given one permit and one member of the household is allowed to go out once a day.

In the morning of May 1, the first batch of residents allowed to exit Nan Jiu Feng Residential Area in Yueyang Subdistrict were seen queuing in an orderly fashion around its gate. After security guards carefully verified the permits, they were allowed to go out.

The residents did their antigen tests or nucleic acid tests arranged by the community committee in the morning and chose their time to go out between 7am and 6pm. Their movement was limited to within their subdistrict.

The majority of the residents said their major purpose with the permit was to purchase some daily necessities, some also used the permit to see a doctor or have a haircut.

“The community sent some vegetables to us yesterday. I am going to buy some yogurt for me and my husband. I won’t stay in a crowd and as soon as I finish my purchase, I will go home,” said Xu Shanhong, a resident.

In Jiujiu Youth City, another neighborhood, children were seen playing outside and some residents were on their way to a supermarket or just for a walk.

At Ming Ting Hua Yuan Residential Area, volunteers were disinfecting the goods brought into the neighborhood by residents.

“I went out fishing near a river, just felt like relaxing. I will have fried fish tonight,” said a resident surnamed Fei of Ming Ting Huan Yuan Residential Area.