Shanghai says it has achieved 'zero-COVID', but millions remain in lockdown

Shanghai on Tuesday declared it had achieved "zero-COVID" across all its districts, sparking derision on social media as millions in China's biggest city remained under lockdown.

Confronted with its worst outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, China -- the last major economy still closed off to the world -- put the city of 25 million under heavy restrictions in early April.

The government's insistence on squashing the Omicron-variant-driven outbreak prompted rare protests and angry scuffles with authorities as Shanghai residents reject the prolonged confinement and food shortages.

"All 16 districts of Shanghai have already achieved zero-COVID at the community level," Shanghai health commission official Zhao Dandan told reporters on Tuesday.

That means none of the over 1,000 new infections recorded on Tuesday was detected outside of quarantined areas, city authorities said.

China's strategy to achieve zero COVID cases includes strict border closures, lengthy quarantines, mass testing and rapid, targeted lockdowns.

Vice mayor Chen Tong said on Sunday that the city would gradually reopen businesses starting this week, without giving specifics.

But millions in Shanghai were...