Much of Shanghai locked down as mass Covid-19 testing begins

(Andy Wong/AP)

China has begun locking down most of its largest city of Shanghai as part of its strict Covid-19 strategy, amid questions over the policy’s economic toll on the country.

Shanghai’s Pudong financial district and nearby areas will be locked down until Friday as citywide mass testing gets underway, the local government said. In the second phase of the lockdown, the vast downtown area west of the Huangpu River that divides the city will start its own five-day lockdown on Friday.