Shanghai authorities announced their plans to end the two-month-long COVID-19 lockdown after discontent and outrage among residents. The decision came as a welcome surprise to the city of roughly 25 million people who immediately started going out into public areas to enjoy their lives.
Chinese authorities plan to conduct mass testing to Beijing's roughly 20 million population, forcing residents to panic buy supplies, such as necessities in fear of stringent lockdowns. The situation comes as the country faces a new outbreak of the coronavirus that has challenged President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID strategy.