China is facing its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the first wave of the pandemic emerged in Wuhan in late 2019.
The country is facing its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the first wave of the pandemic emerged in Wuhan in late 2019.
While the daily caseload is comparatively small, around 5,300 were recorded on Tuesday, the Omicron variant is shaking Beijing’s “zero-Covid” strategy — and that means the return of mass testing and tough restrictions on movement.
Shanghai’s famous waterfront, usually buzzing with tourists and locals, fell quiet this week as authorities moved to stamp out a rise in Covid cases in China’s biggest city.
Just a handful of masked pedestrians snapped pictures of the skyline as workers were told to stay home, students turned to online classes, and restaurant dining was banned in some districts.
Instead of an all-out lockdown — imposed in other cities across China during a recent virus resurgence — Shanghai restrictions were targeted at squashing clusters in specific zones.
But that has left residents picking through a web of local edicts.
In a neighbouring district, another restaurant owner said the measures were already putting people off eating out.
On Douyin — China’s version of TikTok — one would-be restaurateur complained that the dine-in ban was announced just as she had rented new premises.
