KATHMANDU, March 28

A surge in COVID-19 cases in China's popular metropolis Shanghai has prompted a two-stage lockdown, shutting vehicular as well as people's movements in the 'locked' region to control the virus.

Shanghai announced lockdown in the east of the Huangpu River for nine days where people's movements would be restricted.

The municipal government has intensified testing among the residents of locked areas starting Monday morning at 5 am till Friday morning 5 am, according to the China Daily.

As per Reuters, a record 3,450 asymptomatic COVID cases were reported in Shanghai on Sunday, accounting for nearly 70% of the nationwide total, along with 50 symptomatic cases. It said that there were 5,134 new asymptomatic and 1,219 symptomatic cases on Sunday nationwide.

The Reuters report quoted Wu Fan, a member of Shanghai's expert COVID team, saying that a briefing recent mass testing had found large scale infections throughout the city, triggering the strong response.

Wu had, earlier on Saturday, mentioned that Shanghai could not be locked down for long because of the important role it played in the national and even global economy.

But following Sunday's about-turn, mass testing has disrupted transport, healthcare and a wide range of economic activities, with citywide land sales also halted on Monday.

Shanghai's Public Security Bureau said it was closing cross-river bridges and tunnels, and highway tollbooths concentrated in the city's east until April 1.

Areas to the west of the Huangpu River will have similar restrictions imposed from April 1 to April 5.