BEIJING/SHANGHAI: Beijing authorities extended work-from-home guidance for many of its 22 million residents to stem a persistent COVID-19 outbreak, while Shanghai deployed more testing and curbs to hold on to its hard-won ‘zero COVID’ status after two months of lockdown.

On Monday, the Chinese capital reported 99 new cases weredetected on May 22, up from 61 the previous day - the largestdaily tally so far during a month-old outbreak that hasconsistently seen dozens of new infections every day.

In Shanghai fewer than 600 daily cases were reported for May22, with none outside quarantined areas, as there has been the case for much of the past week.

Analysts at Gavekal Dragonomics estimated last week thatfewer than 5% of Chinese cities were reporting infections, down from a quarter in late March, in a COVID outbreak that has cast a pall over growth in the world’s no. 2 economy. But vigilance, and concern, remains acute in Shanghai and the capital.

While there were no new announcements of areas being closedin Beijing, five of the city’s 16 districts advised residents towork from home and avoid gatherings. Those who have to go towork should have a negative result on a PCR test taken within 48hours, and must not deviate from their home-to-work commute.

“The city’s epidemic prevention and control is at a criticalmoment,” Beijing’s Tongzhou district posted on its WeChataccount late on Sunday, asking residents who work in five otherdistricts to do their jobs from home this week.

“One step forward and victory is in sight. One step back,and previous efforts would be wasted.”

‘MASSIVELY HIT’

Beijing had already curtailed public transport, asked someshopping malls and other stores and venues to close and sealedbuildings where new cases were detected.

In one large residential compound not under isolationorders, shelves have been set up for deliveries at the entrance,according to residents, fuelling concern that preparation was inplace for tougher controls on movement.

The curbs in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in China areleaving behind significant economic damage and disruption toglobal supply chains and international trade.

The highly-transmissible Omicron variant of the virus firstdiscovered in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 has proven hard todefeat even with strict measures that starkly contrast theresumption of normal life elsewhere in the world.

“We’ve been massively hit,” said a convenience store ownersurnamed Sun, whose shop in Beijing has only been allowed tooperate during daytime rather than its usual 24/7 hours.

“Even during the Wuhan outbreak we could stay open the wholetime.”

In Shanghai, which reopened more than 250 bus routes and asmall part of its sprawling subway system on Sunday, many townsand districts announced more mass testing for the coming daysand asked residents not to leave their compounds.

The commercial hub of 25 million has allowed more people toleave their homes for brief periods over the past week, but itgenerally plans to keep most restrictions in place this month,before a lifting its two-month-old lockdown from June 1.

NEW CURBS

However, while more people are being allowed outside,several residents in various areas of Shanghai said they hadbeen told of new infections in their vicinity that required newcurbs on movement.

One resident in Hongkou district, which has not reported anynew community-level cases since May 7, said he was told lastweek not to leave his flat, having been allowed to move withinhis compound previously.

Hongkou was among six districts which have announced sometightening of curbs in recent days to “consolidate” the resultsof their efforts so far.

But such moves made some people fear the virus was making acomeback.

The top comment on a post by state agency Xinhua on China’sTwitter-like Weibo post on Shanghai’s latest numbers read: “Thiscan’t be accurate, zero COVID cases at community level? Ourcompound had one new case yesterday.”

Asked to comment, the Shanghai government said that allcases found in recent days were in “sealed” high-risk areas orquarantine centres, and that any community transmission caseswould be announced on official channels.