The Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai is pushing ahead with a mass testing initiative as it tries to curb a new spike in Covid-19 infections, but some districts were easing lockdown rules in an effort to minimise disruptions.

The city, home to about 25 million people, saw symptomatic local community infections hit 57 on March 17, with another 203 domestically transmitted asymptomatic cases, up from eight and 150 respectively a day earlier.

Shanghai, which has up to now remained relatively unscathed by the coronavirus, has shut schools and launched a city-wide testing programme that has seen dozens of residential compounds sealed off for at least 48 hours, Reuters reported.

China has been battling its worst Covid outbreak since the virus first emerged in Wuhan in 2020. It reported 2,388 new local cases with confirmed symptoms, almost double the count a day earlier.