Zero New COVID Cases, Flight Suspension Rules Updated

By Ned Kelly, August 8, 2022

Shanghai Health Commission reported a total of 0 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 0 local asymptomatic cases this morning, Monday, August 8.

That makes zero cases reported for the fourth day in a row, and the seventh time in eight days.

Flight suspension rules updated...

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has relaxed its flight suspension rules.

Here's how it worked previously:

Passengers testing positive reaches 5 – two week suspension
Passengers testing positive reaches 10 – four week suspension

Here's how it works now:

Passengers testing positive reaches 5 or 4% of total number of passengers – one week suspension
Passengers testing positive reaches 8% of total number of passengers – two week suspension

The adjustments aim to "balance COVID-19 prevention and economic and social development, as well as promote cross-border exchanges and cooperation," according to the CAAC.

Tests now valid from when result published...

Nucleic acid tests are now valid from when the result is published, rather than when the test was taken.

Shanghai's Suishenban app, venue code system and digital sentries (those code scanning and temperature check machines) have all been updated to reflect the new policy.

A negative nucleic acid test result obtained within the last 72 hours is currently a must in Shanghai should you wish to take part in 'normal life.'

With it taking between six to 12 hours for results to come out from the time of being tested, many people were previously having to do a test every 48 hours to make sure they had a 72 hour valid code.

The updated policy now buys us all a little more valid greed code time after each test. Be grateful for small mercies, we guess.

No more medium-risk areas...

Shanghai's last remaining medium-risk area – Changhai Lu Subdistrict of Yangpu District – was downgraded at midnight on Saturday, giving the city a risk-area clean bill of health. Long may it continue.

Tourists stranded in Sanya, quarantine for returnees?

Sanya imposed 'static management' (read: lockdown) as of Saturday morning, with some 80,000 tourists reported to be stranded in the popular holiday destination.

All tourists must undergo a week-long quarantine with five nucleic acid tests before leaving, authorities have said... for now.

However, all departing flights and railway services from Sanya have been cancelled to contain the outbreak, which was triggered by the highly-contagious Omicron subvariant BA.5.1.3.

Updated rules will be published on the city's official social media accounts, the government has said.

Meanwhile, the government has mandated that tourists stranded at their original hotels will be charged half price during the lockdown.

Airlines and travel operators are also providing full refunds for tourists who have booked flights and holidays to Sanya.

The Shanghai-Sanya route had become the busiest domestic flight route after Shanghai emerged from its long COVID-19 lockdown.

Shanghai has yet to impose official quarantine measures on those returning from Sanya, leaving it to neighborhood committees to decide on policy. We've heard of some imposing quarantine retroactively – with those who returned from Sanya from late July onwards being told to stay home.

We would imagine that an official policy for returnees to Shanghai will be coming soon, but guess that also depends on people actually being able to return from Sanya...

Image by @wulumeme_lu

In other COVID news...

With sporadic community infections reappearing in the city, authorities are encouraging people to get their COVID-19 booster shot. If you haven't had yours yet, here's how to sign up:

A negative PCR test result obtained within the last 72 hours is currently a must in Shanghai should you wish to take part in 'normal life' – click the link below to find out where to get one:

Meanwhile, those Shanghai residents who do not do a PCR test within seven days of their last test will see their health code turn yellow:

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