China is pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy. The authorities have imposed a lockdown due to the spread of omicron in Shanghai. This also has consequences for around 100 Chinese Swiss passengers: They were stranded at Zurich Airport on Sunday evening because Swiss canceled the onward flight to the Chinese metropolis due to the lockdown in Shanghai.
As these are transit passengers, they are not allowed to leave the airport and have to sleep in the terminal overnight. The group arrived in Zurich from São Paulo in Brazil on Sunday after 10 a.m., the onward flight was scheduled for 8.15 p.m., as Swiss reported «20min.ch» confirmed. In the meantime, the authorities in Shanghai had ordered the short-term general lockdown, which initially applies until April 5th.
Uncertainties in personnel and refueling
Swiss therefore decided to cancel the passenger flight on Sunday evening and the cargo flight on Monday. The background to this are uncertainties, among other things, with regard to staffing and refueling at Shanghai Airport. The situation will be reassessed on Tuesday.
The passengers were offered to fly back to São Paulo. However, they would not have wanted that. The Swiss respect this decision. You are trying hard to find a satisfactory solution, as a spokesman for the Keystone-SDA news agency says. So far, Swiss has offered one passenger and three cargo flights per week to Shanghai.
Consultations on flight operations to Shanghai
During the course of Tuesday, there is movement in the case. The stranded Chinese should be allowed to enter Switzerland. Then they could leave the transit area and be accommodated in hotels.
Swiss is currently working flat out to find a satisfactory solution on Tuesday at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. The aim is for passengers to be able to enter Switzerland during the day.
In addition, Swiss will again discuss further flight operations to Shanghai during the day and is in contact with the Chinese authorities.
On Sunday, 50 local corona diseases and 3,450 asymptomatic infections were discovered in Shanghai, according to the Beijing Health Commission. Nationally, 1219 local infections and 5134 asymptomatic cases were reported. In addition to Shanghai, the northeast Chinese province of Jilin has also been badly affected.
Due to short-term lockdown: People fight for food here(00:44)
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Empty shelves in supermarkets
After the start of the lockdown for half of Shanghai’s residents, the continued sharp increase in the number of corona cases led to panic buying in the supermarkets. Pictures from Tuesday showed empty shelves in some supermarkets in the eastern Chinese economic metropolis. The government reported 6,886 new infections nationwide, of which more than 4,400 were registered in Shanghai – a new high.
“After not being able to buy groceries this morning, I went back to bed and dreamed about shopping at the supermarket,” wrote a user on the online platform Weibo. “I never thought that today’s society would be concerned about grocery shopping,” the user continued.
In the fight against the rising number of infections, Shanghai’s government imposed a lockdown on half of the city of 25 million people on Monday. In the eastern district of Pudong, which includes a financial district and Shanghai International Airport, people are asked not to leave their homes until Friday and to be tested for the corona virus. From Friday it’s the turn of the west of the city. (SDA/AFP/noo)
The lockdown of the Chinese metropolis comes unexpectedly. Were you also surprised by this decision and are now stuck in the big city? Feel free to send us videos or possibly a video statement in which you briefly explain your situation to the following number of the Blick editorial team: +41 79 462 09 77
How to view a video on Whatsapp:
1. Open the chat in the «Whatsapp» app (+41 79 462 09 77)
2. Click on the paperclip if you have an Android or on the «+» sign on an iPhone.
3. Now you can either record your video under «Camera». Or, if you have already done so, select the video under «Gallery».
If you have problems with the recording or general questions, please feel free to email the community team ([email protected]).
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