Shanghai eases ‘unpopular’ child separation policy but extends Covid lockdown

Children with special needs can now have their guardians escorting them at quarantine facilities

Authorities in Shanghai have extended a city-wide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 cases but eased a policy on child separation amid outrage.

On 28 March, China’s most populous city enforced a lockdown in two stages to conduct mass testing over a nine-day period amid daily record cases of asymptomatic infections.

Under the lockdown, residents have been quarantined at home while those who are infected have been quarantined in government hospitals or institutions.

A policy to separate children infected with Covid-19 from their parents under the lockdown measures had come under criticism last week.

On Wednesday, a health official said that children with special needs who have been infected with the disease could now have their guardians escorting them.

However the guardians would have to comply with rules and sign a letter stating that they are aware of the risks involved.

The move comes after the Shanghai government said two days ago that it would relax the policy slightly to allow parents to accompany children if they were also infected.

The government had stated that children would still remain separated from parents who were not Covid-positive, which subsequently prompting further complaints.

The government’s move to allow guardians to accompany children with special needs was welcomed on Chinese social media website.

A hashtag related to the subject had over 40 million views by Wednesday afternoon, reported Reuters.

While the government has made some concessions for children, it also announced on Wednesday that it would not be considering lifting Covid restrictions until lateral tests were completed and results evaluated.

In a statement Wu Qianyu, an official with the city’s health commission, said that Shanghai was in a “race against time” against the outbreak.

The city recorded 16,766 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases on April 5, up from 13,086 a day earlier. Symptomatic cases also rose to 311 from 268 the day before.

The spread of the Omicron variant has challenged China’s zero-Covid policy which includes snap lockdowns and mass testing.

Shanghai has converted an exhibition hall and other facilities into massive isolation centres where people with mild or no symptoms are housed in a sea of beds separated by temporary partitions.

More than 10,000 health workers from across the country have been sent to Shanghai, including 2,000 military medical staff, as its two-stage lockdown continues for the second week.

With residents complaining of food and essentials delivery shortages, the government has promised to ensure “basic living needs” of its citizens.

Liu Min, vice-head of Shanghai’s commerce commission told reporters that efforts would be made to ship food and other necessities to Shanghai from other provinces.

She added that emergency supply stations would be built in and around the city to ensure vegetable supplies.

While the biggest challenge remains delivering to homes Ms Liu said that the city’s 11,000 e-commerce delivery personnel could go to work if they undergo daily Covid tests.

China recorded 1,415 new confirmed coronavirus cases on April 5, up from 1,235 a day earlier, with 1,383 locally transmitted, according to the National Health Commission.