Residents of China’s largest city emerged blinking into the sunshine Wednesday, crowding local parks after the lifting of a 65-day lockdown in Shanghai. With the government sticking with its unpopular zero-COVID policy, however, few are confident that is the end of restrictions. Only 650,000 residents from a population of around 25 million are still locked down, the rest now allowed to leave their homes as long as they can show a green health code on a smartphone app. Cinemas, gyms, and museums remain closed but restaurants are open again for takeout. Just 15 new COVID cases were reported in Shanghai on Wednesday, down from a daily peak of around 20,000 in April after the Omicron variant began spreading in the Chinese commercial capital.
