Shanghai eases anti-COVID restrictions

For the first time in two weeks since the introduction of a stringent lockdown, Shanghai has announced some easing of restrictions imposed due to COVID-19, Report informs citing TASS.

Over the weekend, the population of the entire city was once again tested for coronavirus: more than 25 million samples were collected, the results of more than 21 million people have already been processed, and the rest are still in the process, according to a message published April 11 in the official account of the local government in the WeChat messenger.

Before the start of a new round of mass testing, the authorities promised that after analyzing the results, they would decide in which areas it would be possible to ease the current restrictions. All areas will now be divided into three groups: closed areas, controlled areas, and areas where precautionary measures are taken.

Those areas where cases of coronavirus have been detected in the last seven days will be considered closed areas: full quarantine for residents there will continue for at least another seven days. Controlled status will be given to areas where there have been no cases of COVID in the last seven days: in such areas, residents will be able to leave their apartments, but not outside the territory of the residential complex. The quarantine for them will also be extended for another seven days.

The areas where precautionary measures will be taken will include those where no cases of infection have been detected in the last 14 days: residents will be allowed to move within the designated area, but visits to public places will be limited to avoid mass gatherings.

Currently, 7,624 districts have been given closed status, 2,460 have been placed under control, and 7,565 have become precautionary areas. In this case, districts mean residential complexes or residential microdistricts.