Shenzhen, Dongguan reopening

James Lee and Jane Cheung

Districts in Shenzhen and Dongguan have started to reopen after a seven-day lockdown, with public transport including the metro resuming today.

Shenzhen's Coronavirus Prevention and Control Command Office said yesterday that everyone in the city has taken three nucleic acid tests since March 14 and "dynamic zero infections have basically restored."

It added that from today Shenzhen will gradually return to normal.

"Outbreaks are still severe in the city [Shenzhen] but they are containable overall," the office said.

"[We will] continue anti-epidemic control measures in different phases in different districts. We must strictly and carefully carry [them out], plan them well and balance them with social and economic development, to achieve the biggest impact with the lowest cost."

According to the office, all party and government organizations, enterprises and public institutions, and production and business operation entities will be able to operate as usual.

Public transport will also return to normal to ensure smooth transport of people and supplies. For seven days from today, passengers must present a negative nucleic acid test taken within the last 48 hours.

People will also have to present negative test results obtained within the last 48 hours when they leave their districts or neighborhood.

For districts where cases have been detected, more follow-up control measures will be made.

Regulated premises such as karaoke lounges, cinemas and internet cafes will still remained closed. After-school care and tutoring services will remain suspended.

Restaurants will operate with a maximum capacity of 50 percent.

Large-scale events will generally not be held and group activities will be regulated to maintain social distancing.

Home to tech giants including Huawei and Tencent, Shenzhen, a city of 17 million across the border from Hong Kong, told residents to stay home from March 13 to tamp down an Omicron flare-up, despite having already closed non-essential venues and banning restaurant dining.

A similar lockdown was lifted in Dongguan yesterday, a day earlier than scheduled.

Dongguan authorities required residents to stay in town but those who need to do so will be allowed to cross borders as long as they present negative test results taken within the last 48 hours.

People can leave homes and commute around the city as long as they hold a green health code. They do not need to show their negative test results.

Mainland authorities yesterday reported 3,833 local infections, with the largest number of nearly 1,500 infections coming from Jilin province, the eighth straight day the province in northeast China has sene a four-digit caseload.

Jilin city - the second largest city on Jilin province - will from today enter a four-day lockdown involving some 1,900 districts.

Guangdong province reported 78 infections, including 66 in Shenzhen and eight in Dongguan.

Meanwhile, travelers using land control points to enter the mainland from Hong Kong will be required to take an additional rapid PCR nucleic acid test prior to departure from today. That test is needed to be taken about one to two hours before entering the mainland.