Shanghai reported a 51% drop in new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, with zero cases found in the community — a key metric for the city to end a punishing lockdown that’s snarled global supply chains and left tens of millions of people stuck inside their homes for about six weeks or more.

The city logged 1,487 cases on Tuesday, down from 3,014 on Monday — the biggest drop since the current outbreak began in March. More significantly, Shanghai reported zero cases were found in the community, with all the infections detected among people already in quarantine facilities.

Falling Community Spread in Shanghai

Two more days of zero community cases for restrictions to ease

China considers an outbreak contained only when community spread has reached zero, and Shanghai officials have said that three days of no community transmission is required before restrictions can be eased.

Eight of Shanghai’s 16 districts have reached “basically no community spread”, Zhao Dandan, deputy head of the city’s health commission said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Still, it’s uncertain if the city can hit the three-day target. It managed two days with zero community spread at the end of April, only for cases to rebound.

Source: bloomberg.com