As China continues its strict zero COVID policy, hundreds of flights were cancelled on Friday, some schools were closed and tour groups were suspended after three coronavirus infections were reported in Shanghai. it was done.

Beijing has largely succeeded in controlling the spread of the coronavirus within the border. travel restrictions And snap lockdown, but frequent domestic rekindling, has tested their unacceptable strategy in recent months.

Three positive cases are friends who travelled together last week to nearby Suzhou, Shanghai. health authorities At a press conference Thursday evening, he added that everyone was completely vaccinated.

Over 500 flights from Shanghai’s two major airports were cancelled on Friday, data from flight tracker VariFlight showed.

The Shanghai government also instructed that all cross-provincial package tours involving the city — a major commercial and tourism hub — would be cancelled.

Six Shanghai hospitals have also suspended outpatient services.

“China has accumulated lots of experience in ‘dynamic zero-Covid’, so our strategy won’t change,” said Zhang Wenhong, head of the Shanghai Covid prevention expert task force, at a Thursday briefing.