Shanghai in lockdown after COVID surge

After recording 2,630 new COVID cases on Saturday, Shanghai started a nine-day lockdown yesterday, which will be conducted in two stages, so that half the city will remain functioning while authorities carry out infection testing.

The Shanghai lockdown is being imposed in two stages, with the eastern side of the city, including the Pudong financial and commercial centre, closed until Friday the 1st April, while areas west of the Huangpu River, will be locked down for testing between the 1st and 5th April.

Public transport will be suspended and firms and factories must halt operations or work remotely and all residents will be subject to mass city-wide Covid testing.

Shanghai’s container terminals at Yangshan and Waigaoqiao and airport will remain open, although staff levels and COVID-safe working practices mean there will be an impact on terminal operations, collections, deliveries and handling efficiency.

Airlines are reviewing the situation and some further cancellations are likely. Airport workers were recalled at the weekend to create a closed-loop bubble to allow them to continue working during the lockdown, but trucks outside Shanghai are unable to travel to either the airport or port area.

Restrictions on truckers and container haulage units traveling between Shanghai and cities in adjacent provinces including Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang will make it virtually impossible for manufacturers in those provinces to deliver products to air freight warehouses, ocean CFS, or Shanghai’s port and airport until at least next week and there are currently very few drivers on the road.

The lockdown in Shanghai comes as operations in Shenzhen were returning to normal following its seven-day lockdown that ended last week.

Extended lockdowns may mean factories missing delivery schedules, which is why we recommend checking with your vendors, to clarify the status of your orders.

We are working closely with our network partners, to monitor the changing situation, while minimising any impact on our customers and smoothing shipments in progress, as much as possible.

NOTE: 4-5th April is Qingming Festival and Tomb Sweeping public holidays. All offices and many factories in China are closed at this time.