Middle and high schools in Shanghai will reopen in June to accommodate some of the students, the authorities said on Thursday, a sign of an easing of the confinement imposed on the Chinese economic capital.
Read alsoIn the hell of an expatriate confined to Shanghai: “I saw positive cases being taken away by force, wrapped in scotch tape”
Faced with the resurgence of Covid-19 which has hit China for a few months, a large part of the 25 million inhabitants of the city, the most populous in the country, have been forced to stay at home since the beginning of April.
With the sharp decrease in the number of positive cases in recent weeks, several restrictions have already been lifted.
But people can usually only go out for a few hours a day at best.
However, junior and senior high school students, who are approaching the very demanding university entrance exam, will be able to return to high school on June 6, said Yang Zhenfeng, deputy director of the city's education department.
Third-year students will be allowed to join their college from June 13.
As for the other students, they will have to continue to take their online lessons at home.
338 cases in 24 hours
"
A specialized organization will offer PCR tests to teachers and students (...) at the end of classes, so that they can obtain their results before classes resume the next day
," said Yang Yang.
The Ministry of Health announced Thursday 338 new positive cases in Shanghai over the past 24 hours, against more than 25,000 again at the end of last month.
But the long confinement and travel restrictions are weighing heavily on the morale of the inhabitants and on the economy.
However, the town hall has already authorized certain factories and public transport lines to reopen.
China, unlike most countries in the world, still applies a zero Covid strategy, which intends to limit the number of deaths as much as possible via massive confinements as soon as a few cases appear.
Read alsoChina in the “
zero Covid
” trap
The authorities say they have few alternatives in the face of the contagiousness of the Omicron variant and the relatively low rate of vaccination among seniors.
Only just over 80% of people aged 60 and over received at least two doses.
Cities are increasing incentives to get vaccinated.
In Beijing, a district near the Temple of Heaven is offering 1,000 yuan (140 euros) in vouchers to anyone aged 80 or over who decides to receive a first dose.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
