Shanghai extended its shut downs to some western parts of the city, earlier than scheduled, as it reported a total of 5,982 new local cases, according to Reuters.

The financial hub of Shanghai, home to 26 million people, is in its third day of a lockdown authorities are imposing by dividing the city roughly along the Huangpu River, splitting the historic centre from the eastern financial and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered testing.

While residents in the east have been locked down since Monday, those in the west were officially scheduled to start their 4-day lockdown on Friday.