Shanghai’s omicron outbreak corners Chinese market leader

After two years of relying on broad, hard-edged lockdowns to control Covid-19, Chinese leader Xi Jinping tried something new in Shanghai.

Facing the economic toll and public anger from China’s zero-Covid strategy, Mr Xi gave the city leeway to combat local outbreaks, people close to the government’s decision-making said. The idea was to have Shanghai target only affected neighborhoods with lockdowns. If successful, the approach would provide a template for coexisting with the virus for years to come.