Shanghai, 5th April: As the rest of Asia moves towards normalcy, China is sticking to its zero-COVID policy. There are signs of frustration as Shanghai’s more than 25 million residents endure an ongoing lockdown reminiscent of the Spring of 2020 – not Spring 2022. There is no clear end in sight.

In 2022, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Jilin have endured COVID restrictions, but the approach of Shanghai is China's “biggest containment effort since it shuttered Wuhan at the start of the pandemic two years ago.” The commercial hub is looking at potentially weeks more of the same.