Shanghai expanded its shutdown to certain western areas of the city earlier than planned on Wednesday, as the city recorded a total of 5,982 new local cases.
Shanghai's financial district is in its third day of a lockdown imposed by authorities as a result of the rising cases of COVID-19.
While people in the east have been under lockdown since Monday, residents in the west were set to begin their four-day lockdown on Friday.
However, Minhang, the city's southern region with a population of over 2.5 million, stated late Tuesday that it would cease public bus operations until April 5.
Several households in western districts were also informed on Tuesday by their housing committees that they would be prohibited from leaving their premises for the next seven days, for reasons such as pandemic control or because a neighbor had a close contact of a positive case.
"We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all residents! We will soon restore regular life, but in the meanwhile, we ask that everyone adheres strictly to pandemic control measures, avoids gathering, and minimizes movement," according to a notice obtained by Reuters.
For March 29, the city recorded around 5,656 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and 326 new symptomatic cases, up from 4,381 new asymptomatic cases and 96 new symptomatic cases the previous day.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered his staff earlier this month to "minimize the damage" of the virus on the country's economy as authorities considered the zero-COVID-19 policy.
The shutdown has also wreaked havoc on the city's car industry, with two major suppliers, Aptiv and Thyssenkrupp, joining Tesla in shutting down operations in response to COVID-19 controls.
The Shanghai government said late Tuesday on its official WeChat account that those who refused to submit to nucleic acid testing could face legal consequences and that it would punish any price gouging discovered, following a rush to stock up on food and medical supplies in anticipation of the lockdowns.
The "Pudong epidemic" was a top trending subject on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
A widely shared video depicted a robotic dog with a loudhailer connected to its back strolling around the vacant walkways of a housing development, advising occupants to exercise caution.
Shanghai's public security department announced that it will close all river crossings and tunnels, as well as highway tollbooths centered in the city's eastern districts, until 1 April. Similar limitations will be placed on areas west of the Huangpu River.
