World News: Shanghai revives after two-month lockdown – Gulf Digital News

World News: Shanghai revives after two-month lockdown – Gulf Digital News

SHANGHAI: Shanghai sprung back to life yesterday after two months of bitter isolation under a ruthless Covid-19 lockdown, with shops reopening and people going back to offices, parks and markets, hoping to never go through a similar ordeal again.

For many of the 25 million residents finally able to experience the outdoor world again in China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, street life looked like a flashback from a distant memory.

Cars were back on the roads, while commuters hopped on trains and buses again. Joggers, skaters and dog walkers defied the muggy heat to roam through riverfront parks.

There was the joy of reuniting with close ones, the relief at being able to shop for anything, but also the wariness of another potential outbreak as people licked their wounds after a sustained period of frustration, stress and economic loss.

A Shanghai resident surnamed Dong, who was drinking beer with a friend in the city’s former French Concession neighbourhood, was not in a celebratory mood.

“It’s not like the happiness you feel when you welcome the New Year. It’s very complicated. The last two months have not been easy for anyone,” she said.

“I’m happy because I can see my friend, but when I was alone