Shanghai Covid Restrictions: Covid-19: Some Shanghai businesses will be reopened

Shanghai’s supermarkets, malls and restaurants will be allowed to open with limited capacity from Monday, officials said, although it is unclear whether residents will be evicted from their homes.

The city’s vice mayor, Chen Tong, told a daily press briefing on Sunday that grocery stores, malls, convenience stores and pharmacies would be allowed to reopen during the implementation of “measures to reduce the flow of people.”

Agricultural markets will be allowed to reopen while confirming “no communication” transactions. Restaurants will be allowed to serve takeouts.

However, Shanghai’s Department of Transportation said on Sunday that all subways in the city had stopped working. It was unclear when those services would resume.

City residents are waiting carefully to see how the new arrangements will actually work. Although the city’s official total lockdown began in late March, many remained trapped in their homes for long periods of time.

Shanghai officials had earlier said the city of 25 million people would reopen in a limited way, only to reduce the number of cases but to return the restrictions.

Residents who are allowed to return to work are housed in a “closed loop” system similar to the one used for the Olympics. That means they won’t be able to return home but will have to stay on site.

China reported 1,718 COVID-19 infections locally on Sunday, most of which the authorities classified as asymptomatic infections.