Shanghai starts coming back to life as COVID lockdown eases

By EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA
Associated Press

SHANGHAI (AP) — Traffic, pedestrians and joggers have reappeared on the streets of Shanghai as China’s largest city begins returning to normalcy amid the easing of a strict two-month COVID-19 lockdown that has drawn protests over its heavy-handed implementation. Shanghai’s Communist Party committee, the city’s most powerful political body, proclaimed the lockdown’s success and thanked citizens for their “support and contributions.” The move came amid a steady rollback in compulsory measures that have upended daily life for millions while disrupting the economy and global supply chains. The country’s leadership appears to be acknowledging the public backlash against measures seen as trampling already severely limited civil rights.