Residents wearing face masks line up behind barricaded tapes for COVID mass testing near a residential area on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
The Associated Press
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Supermarkets, malls and restaurants in Shanghai will be allowed to open in a limited capacity starting Monday, officials said, even while it remained unclear whether residents would be let out from their homes.
The city's Vice Mayor Chen Tong said Sunday at a daily press briefing that grocery stores, malls, convenience stores and pharmacies will be allowed to reopen while implementing measures that 'œreduce the flow of people."
Agriculture markets will also be allowed to reopen while ensuring 'œno contact'ť transactions. Restaurants will be allowed to serve takeout.
However, Shanghai's transportation department said Sunday that all subway lines in the city had stopped operating. It was unclear when those services would restart.
City residents are waiting cautiously to see how the new measures will actually play out. Although the city's official total lockdown began at the end of March, many have been stuck in their homes for longer.
Shanghai officials have previously said the city of 25 million people would reopen in a limited way, only for restrictions to return even as cases wane.
Residents who have been allowed to return to work are put into a 'œclosed loop'ť system similar to the one used for the Olympics. That means they cannot return home but have to live on-site.
China reported 1,718 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with the vast majority being infections without symptoms.
Residents line up for COVID mass testing set up at a shuttered commercial office complex on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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Residents wearing face masks bring their children tour along a canal on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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A child looks at a resident wearing a face mask plays a traditional music instrument outside the closed Chaoyang Park due to pandemic measures by authorities on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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Resident wearing face masks enjoy a social dance outside the shuttered Chaoyang Park due to pandemic measures by authorities on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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Residents wearing face masks take a rest on the bench outside a shuttered shopping mall after authorities ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and asked people to stay at home due to pandemic measures on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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A resident gets a swab sample taken at a COVID mass testing site on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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Workers disinfect before ending their shift at a COVID mass testing site on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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Workers disinfect before ending their shift at a COVID mass testing site on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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Residents line up for COVID mass testing site on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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A child wearing a mask waits outside a COVID mass testing site on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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