COVID-19 | Shanghai to start easing lockdown after another mass testing

The fresh round of testing comes as Shanghai reported about 23,000 cases on Saturday

China's largest city of Shanghai will soon begin lifting lockdown in communities that report no positive cases within 14 days after another round of COVID-19 testing, authorities said on Saturday.

The fresh round of testing comes as the city reported about 23,000 cases on Saturday, most of them asymptomatic.

Large swathes of Shanghai, with a population of 26 million, have been under lockdown since March 28, leading to complaints from residents about shortages of food and basic necessities.

Separately, Guangzhou authorities announced that the city northwest of Hong Kong would also begin mass testing its 18 million residents, according to central broadcaster CCTV. The city reported only two confirmed infections on Friday.

Under the new measures, areas in Shanghai will be classified as “precautionary”, “controlled” on “locked down”, depending on the results of the latest round of testing, Shanghai Vice Mayor Zong Ming told a news conference.

Residents in areas deemed to be “precautionary” with no infections within the last two weeks will be able to move around their district, although gatherings will still be restricted.