The city of Shanghai has announced that it has achieved “corona zero” in all its regions, raising doubts on social media as millions of people in China’s largest city remain on lockdown. In China, a city of 25 million people, tight restrictions were put in place in early April to counter the spread of the virus.

The government’s persistence in dealing with the omicron mutant outbreak has led to rare protests as Shanghai residents balk at long-term confinement at home and food shortages. In this regard, Zhao Dandan, a spokesman for the Shanghai Health Commission, noted that “all 16 provinces of Shanghai have already achieved zero Covid at the community level.”

For his part, Vice Mayor Chen Tong confirmed that the city will gradually reopen businesses starting this week, “without giving details.” More than 3.8 million people are still officially under the most stringent form of lockdown in the city, according to official figures.