Shanghai officials dismiss lockdown rumors amid record COVID-19 infections

Officials in Shanghai this week dismissed rumors that it had implemented a city-wide lockdown after the Chinese city reported a record COVID-19 infections.

Though new daily infections in the city reportedly reached nearly 1,000 on Tuesday, Shanghai authorities have said that they are taking a “slicing and gridding” approach, in which they screen neighborhoods for infections, opposed to shutting the city down, according to Reuters.

Rumors of a pending lockdown reportedly sparked panic buying on Tuesday night as city residents filled up slots on the “Freshippo” delivery app, the news outlet noted.

“Please do not believe and spread rumors,” city government officials reportedly wrote in a statement concerning the lockdown rumors on its Weibo site.

On Wednesday, Shanghai’s police said that an investigation has been launched into two individuals who allegedly had been “fabricating” lockdown information in order to “attract attention,” Reuters noted.

Wu Jinglei, a Shanghai health official, reportedly said during a news briefing that the city has two stadiums that it is utilizing as quarantine facilities for mild COVID-19 cases and people who are asymptomatic.

About 977 domestically transmitted asymptomatic infections were reported in Shanghai on Tuesday, Reuters reported.