BEIJING, May 16 (TMTPOST) — Shanghai’s health authorities will start lifting the city’s lockdown from June 1 and gradually return the city back to normality by late June.

Zong Ming, Shanghai’s deputy mayor, said at the press conference for pandemic control and prevention on Monday that Shanghai will follow a phased plan to gradually reopen the city after evaluation done by experts.

In phase 1, Shanghai will focus on reducing the number of new cases, easing the lockdown of residential communities and gradually reopening the city from now on to May 21.

In phase 2, which is between May 22 and May 31, Shanghai will further reduce the number of new Covid-19 cases and reduce the number of areas and residential communities that are under lockdown. The city will adopt a level-based pandemic control and prevention management method.

In phase 3, between June 1 and late June, Shanghai will be fully reopening the city. However, pandemic control and prevention measures will still be taken to prevent new transmissions and curb pandemic resurgence.

Zong noted at the press conference that the city’s health authorities had noticed that there are still risks of pandemic resurgence and that Shanghai needs concerted efforts from residents in Shanghai to return to normality. 

Daily new infections have fallen below 1,000 for the first time since March 24, according to data released on Monday. Symptomatic cases declined by 58.4% to 69 while four patients died. The fatality rate stayed at 0.09%, with the cumulative death toll at 575 out of 620,000 cases in the city of 25 million residents.

Shanghai has been under lockdown for almost two months. Businesses have been shut down and most local residents have been under quarantine at their homes. Regional and global trade as well as the supply chain have been disrupted by the massive lockdown in Shanghai.