New infections in Shanghai after five days of no cases

SHANGHAI: Shanghai reported new Covid-19 cases outside quarantined areas for the first time after five days of no infections, prompting stricter curbs in a district, but plans to end a prolonged city-wide lockdown on June 1 appeared to remain on track.

The commercial hub of 25 million found three new cases outside quarantined areas in one district on Thursday. Infections also rose in strictly controlled areas.

All three, from the same family, had taken three vaccine doses, and their infection was discovered during regular testing in Qingpu district, authorities said.

They have not left Xujing town in the district for the past 14 days, but recently visited at least four places, including a supermarket, all of which were now closed to the public and undergoing disinfection, authorities said.

The town’s more than 200,000 people had since been re-tested and all results were negative, authorities said.

“Our district will follow the precise prevention and control measures, do a good job in epidemic prevention and control and achieve dynamic clearing as soon as possible,” Zhang Yan, deputy head of Qingpu district, told an online press conference.

City officials said parks would reopen in suburbs here from tomorrow, while other parks could do so from June if they met certain conditions. However, any leisure facilities inside the parks would remain closed.

A plan to reopen four metro lines from tomorrow remained on track, the city government said.

Shanghai has been allowing more people to leave their homes in recent days, with many residential compounds issuing a limited number of passes to dwellers for brief walks or trips to the local supermarket.

Beijing, home to 22 million people, reported 62 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday, up from 55 a day earlier.

China’s capital has struggled to end an outbreak since late April despite significant curbs on movement, with many Beijing residents working from home and a range of shops and venues closing.

But the daily caseload has remained in the dozens rather than exploding like in Shanghai and most other major cities around the world.