On Monday evening, some of those allowed out of their compounds for brief walks took advantage of the suspension of traffic to gather over a beer and an ice cream in the deserted streets, but a sense of mistrust and anxiety reigned. among the residents.
“I feel a bit nervous,” said Joseph Mak, who works in education. “It’s hard to believe this is actually happening.”
Most of them will be stuck indoors again until midnight, as they have been for the past two months under a relentless lockdown that has led to loss of income, stress and despair for millions of people struggling to access emergency food or health care.
The prolonged isolation has fueled public anger and rare protests inside Shanghai and hurt the city’s manufacturing and export economy, disrupting supply chains in China and around the world, and slowing down international trade.
Life is expected to return to something more normal from Wednesday, when passes issued by apartment buildings to let people out for a few hours are removed, public transport resumes and residents can return to work.
“It’s a day we’ve been dreaming of for a very long time,” Yin Xin, spokesman for the Shanghai government, told reporters.
Yin said daily online press briefings will be halted as his colleagues, who have been living at the site for two months as required by COVID rules, will return home after midnight.
“Everyone has made great sacrifices. This day has been hard won, and we must cherish it and protect it, and welcome back the Shanghai we know and have missed.”
Along a Shanghai creek on Tuesday, a sea goose shop stocked its shelves; a bar was undergoing last-minute renovations; cleaners scrubbed the windows.
Restrictions will be eased for around 22.5 million people in low-risk areas. Residents should always wear masks and avoid gatherings. Meals inside restaurants are prohibited. Stores can operate at 75% capacity. Gyms will reopen later.
Residents will be required to take tests every 72 hours to take public transport and enter public places. Severe quarantine is still in place for anyone who has contracted COVID and their close contacts.
LOCKDOWN-WARY
China is the only major country to implement a “zero COVID” policy aimed at eradicating epidemics at all costs.
The highly transmissible Omicron variant tends to make a comeback.
Julian MacCormac, speaker of the British Chamber in China, said Shanghai has brought COVID under control at a “very significant personal and economic cost”.
“What materially has changed to ensure this won’t happen again?” he asked. “Therein lies the uncertainty.”
Todd Pearson, chief executive of Camel Hospitality Group, which operates a few restaurants, bars and gyms in and around Shanghai, is wary.
His restaurants can only do deliveries, which bring in around 5% of revenue, not enough to pay salaries and rent. At least, from midnight, its workers who slept there will finally be able to go home.
“I’m hoping they’ll speed things up to get the economy moving again,” Pearson said. “I just hope it won’t come at the cost of further outbreaks. I’m not sure businesses or people can take much more.”
Economic activity in China picked up somewhat in May after a dismal April as COVID restrictions in key manufacturing hubs were gradually eased, although movement controls are still depressing demand and dampening production .
FUN WITH FLAGS
Shanghai reported 31 cases for May 30, down from 67 the previous day, reflecting a downward trend across China, with fewer than 200 infections nationwide, a fraction of what most other countries are reporting.
The end of Shanghai’s lockdown does not mean a return to pre-COVID lifestyles.
Some bank workers have said they will have to wear full suits and face shields when they start facing the public from Wednesday. An employee said he would bring basic supplies to work, in case a colleague tested positive and staff had to self-isolate in the office.
The lockdown has fueled rare protests, with people occasionally banging on pots and pans outside their windows to show their annoyance with the strict measures, and many sharing their frustrating interactions with authorities on social media.
These public displays of resentment come in a difficult year for President Xi Jinping, who is expected to win a third term in office this fall.
One property hung a Chinese flag so residents could take pictures of themselves as they lined up for a final PCR test before reopening.
“It’s worth celebrating,” said one volunteer at the testing site, who was more optimistic about COVID than those who had their noses removed. “It’s likely we’ll never do that again in the rest of our lives.”