Drone footage shows near-empty highways and quiet streets in the Pudong district of Shanghai, which began its staggered lockdown on Monday. The shutdown coincides with mass COVID testing across China's largest city.
's financial capital will be locked down in two stages, starting with the eastern half, which falls under the restrictions from Monday for five days. The lockdown will then shift to the other half of the city.
The two-phase lockdown is China's biggest coronavirus closure since the city of Wuhan — believed to be the origin of the pandemic — was shuttered two years ago. From Monday, all residents must stay home in Shanghai's eastern Pudong district, which includes its primary international airport and the financial hub. Deliveries will have to be left at checkpoints on the edge of shuttered neighborhoods and only essential businesses will be permitted to open. Public transport was shut down, too.
The city is a global hub for finance and manufacturing and a major international port, so the two-phased approach is a bid by Chinese authorities to minimize the disruption to business and world trade. The lockdown will shift from Pudong to the city's more populous western half of Puxi for four days in early April.