China’s financial hub Shanghai will extend the lockdown of its eastern district, after authorities admitted they were ill-prepared for the latest wave of COVID-19 infections.
The local government announced late on Thursday it would extend the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai for residential areas.
Areas in which with people report positive test results will be locked down for an additional 10 days while those nearby without cases will remain sealed for another three days.
The current extension relates to Shanghai’s lockdown of its eastern district, Pudong, which is where the mainland's domestic financial hub is located. It remains in effect in parallel with a lockdown of the western district, which was part of the previously announced two-phase plan.
Authorities Not Prepared
According to the Shanghai municipal government’s secretary-general, Ma Chunlei, local authorities were not sufficiently prepared for the latest wave of infections and they were open to public feedback.
«Our awareness of the highly infectious and insidious Omicron mutant strain was not sufficient, and our preparation for the significant rise in infections was not comprehensive,» according to an «SCMP» report citing Ma, highlighting issues such as resident access to supplies.
«We sincerely accept your criticism and are working hard to improve it.»
