Shanghai has reported seven new COVID-19 cases a day after the city lifted a two-month lockdown to contain the virus surge, local authorities said during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

Three infections were found in the downtown Jing’an District and four in the financial center of Pudong New Area, officials said.

The city ended nearly all COVID-19 restrictions Wednesday, allowing shops to reopen and people to move freely without time restrictions. But authorities said about 890,000 people will remain locked down in “quarantine” and “control” areas still considered at risk of COVID transmission.

Shanghai has mandated a 72-hour negative nucleic acid test result for all residents to access public transport and other venues such as supermarkets, malls, and parks.

Long lines of people waiting to get their COVID test were a common sight in the city Wednesday evening and Thursday. Many residents complained of long wait times and insufficient testing booths.

The city would add more COVID testing booths and “significantly extend” testing and sampling times, said Xia Kejia, head of the city’s COVID-19 screening team. He added that the city will also add more 24-hour testing sites.

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.

(Header image: Residents wearing masks walk past a closed store in Shanghai, June 2, 2022. Ng Han Guan/AP via VCG)