Shanghai to Restrict Movement of 15 Million People for Coronavirus Testing

Shanghai’s government reimposed lockdowns on at least eight million residents on Friday as part of a mass Chinese coronavirus testing effort, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, noting that the movement restrictions came just one week after the Chinese financial hub lifted a 65-day lockdown order for the entire city.

AFP, citing China’s official state press agency, Xinhua, reported that over eight million Shanghai residents would be locked down on Friday, while the Latin American news outlet Infobae reported the figure as 15 million residents.

“In Shanghai, at least 15 of the city’s 16 districts — totalling more than 23 million people — said they would conduct PCR tests on residents in the coming days, while six areas said they would impose lockdowns during the testing drive,” AFP reported on June 10.

“The districts that will impose some lockdowns — Minhang, Yangpu, Putuo, Fengxian, Qingpu and Changning — are home to more than eight million people,” the news agency noted.

Shanghai’s government announced the mass testing edicts “in a series of notices released locally on Thursday [June 9] and Friday [June 10].”

Walking across parts of downtown Shanghai was like being back to April-May. Houses inside fences or barricades after few Covid cases were detected post lockdown. pic.twitter.com/pDvG1F0DA5

— Bibek Bhandari (@bibekbhandari) June 8, 2022

Shanghai is a metropolis of 25 million-plus inhabitants that is considered a global economic powerhouse. The city is home to the world’s busiest shipping container port and houses manufacturing plants for dozens of top multinational companies, such as  Apple and Tesla. The urban center’s government caused significant economic damage not just to Shanghai’s local economy but also to the global financial sphere in recent weeks after it effectively shut down the entire city for 65 straight days to contain a Chinese coronavirus epidemic.

Shanghai’s last lockdown lasted from March 28 to June 1 and began with a mass testing edict similar to the one announced on June 9. The financial center’s decision to reimpose movement restrictions on millions of residents this week suggests that Shanghai’s economy, and the world’s, may again suffer major setbacks.

AFP on Friday reflected on the potential ripple effects that Shanghai’s latest lockdown may have on the global economy, writing:

Experts predict that China will struggle to meet its economic growth target of around 5.5 percent this year as virus lockdowns force business shutdowns and snarl supply chains.

The World Bank has sharply slashed its 2022 growth forecast for China to 4.3 percent, warning this week that Covid disruptions could further slow recovery.

The shockwaves from China’s zero-Covid policy have hit the global economy as well, especially after the lockdown in Shanghai — the country’s biggest city and a major global shipping hub.

Shanghai’s decision to seal off residential compounds across six districts on June 9 reportedly came after local health officials detected a slight uptick in the city’s new daily cases of the Chinese coronavirus. China’s ruling Communist Party continues to observe a “zero tolerance” policy toward the disease that most observers agree has become obsolete in the face of the evolving and globally waning Chinese coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization described the Chinese government’s “zero tolerance” policy as unsustainable on May 10.