Shanghai Sets Record Daily Spike In COVID-19 Infection Cases, Disney Resorts Closed

Illustration of a health check during the COVID-19 pandemic at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China. (Wikimedia Commons/Ptrump)

JAKARTA - Shanghai, China's authorities recorded a record spike in daily COVID-19 infection cases on Monday, prompting authorities to rush to test controls for the Omicron variant, and close Disney resorts until further notice.

With relatively no spikes in COVID-19 infection cases, Shanghai reported 24 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on Sunday, and 734 local asymptomatic infections, official data showed on Monday.

This is the fourth day in a row that local asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in Shanghai have increased.

Despite the small infection tally by global standards, Shanghai has quickly followed China's dynamic 'Zero COVID' policy, closing schools and testing housing complexes in a bid to limit the spread of the virus.

"When it comes to the entire epidemic control and prevention situation that we are facing, it is very complex and serious and is also a very big test for us," city health official Wu Jinglei told a news conference.

Shanghai will stick with "dynamic permitting", Wu added, saying he expects continued public support for the policy.

The city is also closing the Shanghai Disney Resort from Monday until further notice. Read more

Yet there are signs of frustration with the city's ad hoc, district-by-district approach.

"Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have three different models of epidemic response," one user posted on China's Twitter-like Weibo network.

"Hong Kong is the worst but will be the first to open up," the zangyn author said in a widely shared post. "Shenzhen is the most effective, and Shanghai is probably the most exhausting, and even the saddest."

Illustration of a corner of Disney Resort Shanghai, China. (Wikimedia Commons/MasaneMiyaPA)

The severity of the outbreak response by Shanghai complexes and residential districts varied, with some choosing to lockdown for two weeks. Several people in other closed districts said they were not told how long they had to stay at home.

The citizen committee that helps organize the testing program also faces challenges. One compound distributed tokens to thwart attempts by outsiders to take the free test.

Including the Shanghai infection, mainland China reported a total of 1.947 new locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Sunday, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed, up from 1.656 the day before.

Tangshan, a steel-producing city that has recorded only 12 cases of local infection since March 19-19, allowed essential vehicles to pass on roads smaller than highways. Meanwhile, people with special needs who must use a vehicle must seek approval.

In Shenzhen, local authorities have allowed work and production activities, as well as bus and subway services in most areas, to resume after the daily local number of cases fell after three rounds of testing across the city.

However, strict restrictions remain in some places. Shenzhen residents will still need to show negative tests to use public transport from Monday to March 27, a period during which non-essential indoor services will remain closed, the city government said.

China's new local asymptomatic cases, which are not classified as confirmed cases, stood at 2.384, up from 2.177 the day before. The death toll was unchanged at 4.638, with no new deaths.

In total, mainland China has reported 132.226 cases with confirmed symptoms, both among local residents and foreign arrivals.