Shanghai Begins Second Stage of COVID-19 Lockdown as Officials Aim to Test Millions

Workers wearing personal protective gear stand next to a residential compound during the second stage of a Covid-19 lockdown in Jing'an district in Shanghai on April 1, 2022. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Chinese officials plan to test 16 million residents living in western Shanghai in the coming days, after the city began the second phase of its lockdown on April 1, according to China’s state-run media.

Meanwhile, residents living in eastern and southern Shanghai hoping to return to normal life on April 1 after a four-day lockdown have been told that they could be confined to their homes a lot longer, a fresh sign that the city’s COVID-19 outbreak is not easing.