Next China: Shanghai Liberation
Pedestrians near the Bund in Shanghai on Wednesday. China's financial capital reported its fewest Covid-19 cases in almost three months as residents celebrated a significant easing of curbs on movement.
Shanghai’s residents are finally getting a real taste of freedom.
After a three-month lockdown — including half-hearted easing measures that only served to torment the city's population of 25 million — Shanghai re-opened June 1. No longer do people have to request permission to leave their residential compounds, nor are they swabbed for Covid on a daily basis. Trains are running again, shops are re-opening and ride-hailing services can pick up passengers.
It’s not all smooth sailing. Some 10% of the population in high-risk areas are still locked in, gyms and cinemas remain shut, and residents need to hustle to get a negative Covid test result within the past 72 hours to enter public spaces.
Even so, reaction to the good news was swift. The newly released cheered their freedoms with fireworks and parties in their housing compounds. Some fled to Hong Kong. Investors bid up stocks. Bloomberg’s Allen Wan marked his first day of freedom with a celebratory beer at a Family Mart and a trip to the barber. He took the subway to Lujiazui, China's version of Wall Street, to see what obstacles he and other residents would continue to face on their return to the office. His journey can be viewed here.