A few malls and residential complexes in Shanghai have started asking visitors to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination.
In one instance, a shopping centre’s temporary decision to bar entry sparked a backlash on social media. A video showing a local resident arguing with security guards about the legitimacy of barring unvaccinated people at the entrance of the Pacific Life Plaza in Shanghai has been shared tens of hundreds of times on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.
Several vendors told Reuters that the mall was blocking unvaccinated customers at the entrance, though people could still sneak in from the exit. The mall operator could not be immediately reached for comment.
China was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic last year but has since largely contained its spread, though there are still occasional flare-ups. Inoculation is voluntary in China, with officials explicitly told not to enforce compulsory jabs.
China aims to vaccinate 40 per cent of its 1.4 billion people by the end of June. But its success in containing the spread of the virus and vaccine shortage in some areas could still slow the effort.
