Shanghai allowed 4 million more people out of their homes Wednesday as anti-virus controls that shut down China's biggest city eased, while the International Monetary Fund cut its forecast of Chinese economic growth and warned the global flow of industrial goods might be disrupted.A total of almost 12 million people in the city of 25 million are allowed to go outdoors following the
last week, health official Wu Ganyu said at a news conference. Wu said the virus was"under effective control" for the first time in some parts of the city.Under the latest changes, more than 4 million people are included in areas where the status shifted from closed to controlled, said Wu. He said some are not allowed to leave their neighborhoods and large gatherings are prohibited.
Residents line up for COVID-19 nucleic acid tests at a gated community during the phased lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak on April 20, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Meanwhile, the IMF reduced its forecast of Chinese growth this year to 4.4% from 4.8% due to the shutdowns of Shanghai and other industrial centers. That is down by almost half from last year's 8.1% growth and below the ruling Communist Party's 5.5% target.