Shanghai has been quarantined in stages since March 28, with the latest restrictions initially announced to end on April 5. The reporting of more than 73,000 positive covid-19 infections, and the Chinese policy of 0 cases are the reasons why the city with over 25 million inhabitants and important industrial hub, remains blocked indefinitely.

The Shanghai quarantine has been extended indefinitely, thus impacting the sea and air transports in the area.

• Almost all of Shanghai is now blocked; residents cannot leave their homes.
• Most warehouses are closed.
• Part of the factories and the port operates in “closed loop” conditions, meaning that the workers sleep on the spot.

How the export operations from the Shanghai area are to be carried out:

• There are long loading delays in Shanghai port; the program is not stable. Over 300 ships are waiting to load or unload in the port.
• Most of the goods from Shanghai were redirected to Ningbo, Qingdao and Tianjin and other ports, leading to congestion.
• Many cities have become reluctant to allow container trucks from Shanghai to enter, thus delaying operations.
• Most airlines have cancelled their flights to/from Shanghai, the cargo operations in Pudong Airport being very difficult to achieve, thus leading to the congestion of alternative routes, such as Zhengzhou Airport.