THE quarantine at the Guixi residential compound near the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall in Shanghai’s Huangpu District was lifted at 6pm yesterday.

The area was listed as medium risk on January 24 after a resident living in the area was diagnosed with COVID-19.

At the end of the 14-day quarantine, it was downgraded yesterday, allowing residents to start normal life again.

People linked to the area and who didn’t stay in the neighborhood were quarantined at a designated hotel. They were transferred by bus to the entrance of the neighborhood.

At 5:30pm, a 7-year-old girl, surnamed Xu, waited outside the complex with her mother. Her friend was quarantined in a hotel because the friend’s grandparents lived in the neighborhood.

“I missed my friend very much,” the girl said.

Her mother added: “She was worried about her friend so I brought her here.”

As the time for the unlocking approached, many Guixiresidents began gathering at the entrance, waving small national flags. A 69-year-old resident, surnamed Chen, was recording a video with her phone for her sister. Her daughter and son-in-law came to the entrance early, with a home-cooked meal.

Chen said she will miss the special experience.

“I thank the staff members for everything they have done for us,” she said. “They helped dispose of litter, picked up packages we bought online and checked our health conditions during these days.

“Because of the quarantine, I met many neighbors of various age groups. On sunny days, we spent time on the flat roof and chatted with each other. We are too busy to improve our relationship with neighbors in normal times.”

Chen was excited that her life was back to normal.

“Finally, I can have dinner with my family together,” she said. “And it is time to shop for the upcoming Spring Festival.”

In the seconds before the lockdown was lifted, people inside and outside the complex began to count down loudly. When the barriers were removed by the police, a great cheer went up from the crowd, with warm applause.

Many residents came out from the neighborhood for “fresh air” with their family, and dozens of policemen kept order.

Some quarantinedstores will soon open for business. A Chinese medicine store on the Xizang Road M. put up a notice on the wall, saying that it will stay open during the festival holiday starting Thursday.

But the reopening time for the city’s first 24-hour store, established in 1968, is unclear. The Xinghuo Day & Night store has been closed since January 24.

Now, there is only one medium-risk area for COVID-19 in Shanghai. TheXingaoyuanPhase I residential complex in the Pudong New Area was placed under lockdown on Friday after a resident living in the area was confirmed withCOVID-19.

The new case is a close contact of a previous confirmed patient. The case was found through investigations by medical workers and people don’t need to worry too much, saidWu Fan, deputy director of Fudan University’s medical college and a leading expert on Shanghai’s COVID-19 treatment team.

3,500 people quarantined

Xingaoyuan Phase I was listed as a medium-risk area by Shanghai’s health commission and there are around 3,500 people quarantined in the neighborhood inGaodongTown, said HuangWei, the town’s deputy head.

The first round of nucleic acid test was completed for these residents on Thursday night, the Pudong government said on Friday.

Only one entrance to the complex is open. Two large tents have been set up outside the entrance for packages and food bought online by the quarantined residents.

Over 100 staff members of the town government are collating the needs of residents, Huang said. Bedclothes for the security guards who stay inside the compound and dozens of boxes of disinfectants were delivered.

A woman,surnamedMa, who brought vegetables and daily necessities, was waiting outside the complex. A family member lives in the area, Ma said. She handed over the goods to staff at the entrance and waved to her family from a distance.

“I am not worried about the pandemic because it has been controlled well in the Shanghai,” Ma said. “I just hope my relative will feel easy during the following days of quarantine.”

Aman,surnamedYang, brought a laptop for a quarantined colleague. “My boss asked me to do so,” Yang said.

“Although my colleague cannot go to his workplace, he can still work at home.”