Shanghai inches towards lockdown exit, Beijing plays defence

Here you go: A delivery worker passing items to a man inside a fenced residential area under a Covid-19 lockdown in Beijing. — AFP

Shanghai cautiously pushed ahead with plans to restore part of its transport network in a major step towards exiting the weeks-long Covid-19 lockdown, while Beijing kept up its defences in an outbreak that has persisted for a month.

Shanghai’s lockdown since the beginning of April has dealt a heavy economic blow to China’s most populous city, stirred debate over the sustainability of the nation’s zero-Covid policy and stoked fears of future lockdowns and disruptions.