Shanghai and iPhone City Ease Curbs: China Lockdown Tracker

China’s lockdown of Shanghai looks to be slowly coming toward an end, although most of the city’s 25 million residents won’t be allowed to move freely for a few more weeks.  

The emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant has spurred increasingly stringent curbs since March, in some cases snap lockdowns that carried heavy costs for the local population and economy. The pattern of transmission and restrictions across the country could offer insight into what regions may be vulnerable in the days ahead.

Of China’s top 50 cities by economic size, only Beijing and Shanghai currently have widespread restrictions in place. Dalian and Harbin resumed in person teaching at schools on Tuesday, while Harbin also is allowing people to eat in restaurants. Many cities and provinces require regular Covid testing to access public spaces or take public transport. 

Covid-19 data for Monday, May 16

• Twenty-five of China’s 31 mainland provinces have had cases in the past week, but only six had more than 20 infections, including Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Liaoning and Sichuan
• Case numbers continue to fall in Shanghai, though it’s still by far the largest outbreak in China
• Hotspots to watch out for are Tianjin, which reported 28 infections during a mass testing drive, and a small city called Guang’an in Sichuan, which is within a two hour drive of Chongqing
• Zhengzhou in Henan, which is where the main iPhone factory in China is located, lifted its “strict management” last week and continues to normalize

Movement Indicators

• Nationwide subway usage in the top 11 cities was down 46% from the same time last year, with no one using the subways in Shanghai. Excluding Shanghai, ridership is down 16%, with 101 subway stations closed in Beijing, according to local media
• Ridership on the Chongqing subway looks to be holding up despite an outbreak nearby, while Zhengzhou is recovering.
• CHINA INSIGHT: Virus-Risk Areas Fall to 22% of GDP But at a Cost

Affected Companies

• More than 180 firms around the world have have mentioned “China” and “lockdowns” in their first-quarter earnings calls or financial statements, up from 50 in the previous quarter, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of transcripts and filings. These include Toyota Inc. and other major car companies, Under Armour Inc., LG Household & Health Care Ltd., and General Electric Co..