The city, which is grappling with a record number of daily Covid cases, has become the biggest — and potentially costliest — example of China’s insistence on adhering to its strict elimination strategy.
The plan, which will see every resident take a nucleic acid test starting Monday morning, comes as Shanghai reported a city record of more than 9,000 cases on Sunday.
Though the case numbers are small by international standards, the fast-spreading outbreak has placed Shanghai on the front lines of China’s uncompromising battle with the virus, as the government doubles down on testing, mandatory lockdowns, and controversial isolation policies that sees young children separated from their parents if they test positive.
Enforcing these measures, while attempting to cater to the needs of a locked down population has pushed officials to adopt a wartime footing. In recent days, more than 30,000 medics have been dispatched to the city, according to state media. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) also deployed more than 2,000 military medical workers to Shanghai on Sunday, according to the official PLA Daily.
Political pressure has been mounting on Shanghai authorities to both quell the outbreak and address the growing chorus of concerns from residents grappling with the costs and inconveniences of the stringent measures.
But if residents hoped the measures would soon ease, the arrival of Vice Premier Sun Chunlan to the city over the weekend left little doubt as to Beijing’s position.
Sun, who has spearheaded Covid-19 control efforts throughout the pandemic, on Sunday stressed that…
Source : cnn
