Citizens returning from outside city can't be barred from their homes
Citizens do outdoor exercise in a community garden.
Local communities cannot refuse or prevent people traveling from outside Shanghai returning to their neighborhoods, the city's COVID-19 prevention authority said.
The district governments should supervise their subdistricts and towns to properly explain the policies and receive people coming or returning to the city according to stipulations, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of Shanghai Health Commission.
The city stipulates that people coming or returning to Shanghai from other cities or provinces must have a negative PCR report within 48 hours before their arrival, Zhao said.
Also, those traveling to Shanghai via medium- or high-risk areas should undergo quarantine or medical observation, he said.
Some local neighborhood committees have been criticized by media for setting up unauthorized thresholds to prevent people traveling from outside the city entering their communities in the name of COVID-19 prevention and control.
A citizen surnamed Gu, returning from Suzhou in neighboring Jiangsu Province, was rejected by her neighborhood committee despite having a 48-hour PCR test negative report and green health code, proving she had never been to any medium- or high-risk areas.
The neighborhood committee in Fengxian's Nanqiao Town asked her to provide proof issued by the Suzhou government about her accommodation and PCR test details in that city before allowing her to return home.
A local lawyer, Cao Zhuping, noted that such non-official stipulations made by the neighborhood committee were both irrational and illegal. Gu had the full right to return home as she was not a confirmed or asymptomatic COVID-19 patient, Cao said.
Citizens dry clothes or do exercises at home in Yangpu District.
The neighborhood committee apologized after the media exposure and allowed Gu to return home.
According to health commission official Zhao, only people traveling from or via high-risk areas must undergo a two-week central quarantine with multiple PCR tests. Their health code will become red and they must report to their neighborhood committee or company within 12 hours after arriving in the city.
Those from medium-risk areas must under a two-week home quarantine with PCR tests and their health code will become yellow.
Other returning travelers only need to conduct weeklong self-health monitoring with two temperature checks every day, correctly wear a mask when going out and avoid gathering activities, Zhao said.
He added that neighborhood committees are also banned from preventing city maintanence employees, medical workers or makeshift hospital staff from returning home.
People working at designated or makeshift hospitals will complete their central quarantine and PCR checks before returning to their communities, Zhao explained.
The number of local infections dropped by some 20 percent to 264 on Thursday with zero community infections.
Over 21 million residents, 87 percent of the city's total population, are living in precautionary areas – communities, villages, companies and sites without a positive case in the past two weeks.
The landmark Tian'an 1000 Tree shopping mall reopens in Putuo District.
The number of residents in locked-down areas is 320,000, while about a million are in controlled areas.
Local restaurants will continue to provide only online delivery or takeout services, despite the waning COVID-19 resurgence in the city, said Lai Xiaoyi, an official with Shanghai Commerce Commission. The timing of the reopening of dine-in services depends on the pandemic situation.
Some 2,700 outlets of the city's 178 chain restaurants have begun offering delivery and takeout services, a third of the total number of outlets run by these chain eateries.
Some 18,000 employees have returned to work at the restaurants, or 12 percent of the total. They must have received full COVID-19 vaccines and do both daily PCR and antigen tests to be allowed to work.
Customers must scan the venue code, be checked by the "digital sentry," or do a temperature check and machine code scanning before entering the sites. The restaurants must be disinfected three times a day and be regularly ventilated.
All the online ordered or takeout food must be sealed with a food safety label, and restaurants must check the e-pass of each delivery rider and their COVID-19 protection to prevent cross-infection.
Meanwhile, two national 5A scenic spots – the Dongping National Forest Park and Xisha Mingzhu Lake – on Chongming Island reopened on Friday.
Customers visit a reopened downtown shopping complex.
