Chinese authorities have extended their lockdown of Shanghai to cover all its 25 million people after a fresh surge in Covid cases. Until now, there had been separate measures for the eastern and western sides, but the whole city is now subject to indefinite restrictions. Shanghai is the largest single city to be locked down to date. The important financial hub has battled a new wave of coronavirus infections for more than a month. The authorities reacted after new cases rose to more than 13,000 a day, although the numbers are not high by some international standards. Residents in some areas of the city said the strict policy meant no-one was allowed to leave their housing compounds, not even to collect essential provisions. They reported difficulties in ordering food and water online, with items selling out before they could be added to digital shopping baskets. This country’s “zero-Covid” system […]