Shanghai lifts restrictions after two months of quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic

MADRID, June 1 (Royals Blue) –

The Chinese city of Shanghai has relaxed anticovid restrictions after two months of confinement at home. As of midnight on Wednesday (local time), most citizens of the economic center of the city can move freely, shopping malls reopen and public transport resumes.

“This is a day we have dreamed of for a long time,” said Shanghai government spokeswoman Yin Xin. “Everyone has sacrificed a lot. This day has been hard earned and we have to value it and protect it,” she added in statements to journalists.

However, 650,000 residents living in quarantined areas will remain confined. Zeng Qun, a city official, told the Chinese newspaper ‘Global Times’ that, except for those in areas under lockdown, no one “can restrict residents from going out or coming back.”

Shanghai, which announced its “new beginning” on Wednesday, June 1, still maintains a series of rules to comply with the Chinese government’s ‘zero cases’ policy. Residents have to show a green health code on their cell phones to leave neighborhoods and to access most places.

To enter public transport, banks or shopping centers, you must have a negative PCR test in the last 72 hours. Those who travel to another city will have to quarantine for 7 to 14 days on their return.

The lockdown of the city — China’s financial hub — has disrupted the country’s economic development. The central and local governments have announced measures to boost the economy in the second half of the year, with the relaxation of taxes or subsidies to small businesses.