Why is Shanghai under lockdown despite the easing of curbs?

Key Takeaways:

• To "restrict the flow of people" and prevent the spread, Beijing officials are pushing for most citizens to work from home.
• According to a Bloomberg report, no new infections were identified outside the financial hub's government quarantine.

According to a Bloomberg report, neighborhood committees in Shanghai, which has been struggling to combat the spread of coronavirus, are now imposing strict and arbitrary restrictions on residents' movement, including restrictions and time limits on who can leave their buildings and for how long - just as the authorities are lifting the lockdown as cases decline. 

Meanwhile, officials in Beijing are pushing for most citizens to work from home to "limit the flow of people" and stem the spread. In other parts of North Korea, the government asserts that "the virus situation is under control," although state media recorded 1.34 lakh new 'fever' cases on Tuesday.

The following are the most recent updates on the global Covid-19 situation.

1. While officials in Shanghai have been gradually reducing the lockdown placed on the city's 25 million citizens, Bloomberg reported that certain neighborhood volunteers are still keeping individuals from leaving their homes, fearing revival in instances.

2. On Monday, Shanghai reported 480 instances, down from 558 on Sunday. According to a Bloomberg article, no new infections were discovered outside the financial hub's government quarantine.

3. According to state broadcaster CCTV, which cited official data, China's capital Beijing registered 41 new symptomatic coronavirus infections on May 23, down from 83 the day before. According to Reuters, the number of asymptomatic cases has dropped to seven from sixteen the day before. The country keeps track of both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.

4. Beijing has extended the obligation for many of its 22 million people to work from home. According to Reuters, a Beijing municipal government official said, "(We) should fully execute the requirements of working from home in critical regions, further limit the rate of working from the office to decrease the flow of people." Beijing has already halted public transportation, ordered the closure of some shopping malls as well as other stores and venues, and sealed buildings where fresh cases had been discovered.

5. North Korea announced on Tuesday that the first confirmed Cobid-19 epidemic is showing a "steady" downward trend and that the situation in the country is "under control," with 134,510 more persons showing "fever symptoms." It didn't say how many tested positive for the coronavirus.

6. According to North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, "nationwide morbidity and mortality rates have severely fallen, and the number of recovered patients has climbed, thereby limiting and controlling the spread."

7. Daily new coronavirus infections in South Korea fell below 10,000 for the first time in over four months on Monday, as the highly dangerous Omicron variant fades despite loosened pandemic restrictions. The total of 9,975 is the lowest since late January, when South Korea reported 8,570 cases, according to Reuters, citing data from the Korea Disease Preventive and Control Agency.

8. On the vaccination front, the US Food and Drug Administration will hold a hearing on June 15 to determine if the Moderna vaccine should be given an emergency approval for use in kids aged 6 months to 5 years. The meeting will also cover the use of Pfizer's vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years. Meanwhile, the FDA removed the hold on clinical studies of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin on Monday, according to vaccine maker Ocugen. For Covaxin trials in the United States, Ocugen has teamed with Bharat Biotech.