This weekend, only ten days after a citywide lockdown was lifted, most Shanghai residents will be subjected to an unexpected round of Covid-19 testing, upsetting citizens and raising concerns about the impact on business.

Due to the identification of a few cases in the community, Shanghai officials said on Thursday (June 9) that seven of the city's sixteen districts will conduct PCR testing on all inhabitants over the weekend to prevent a new outbreak.

Later in the day, six more districts launched similar initiatives. Some districts stated that homeowners would be prohibited from leaving their houses during testing.

"During the sampling communities will carry out 'closed management', there will be only entry and not exit, which will be lifted after the sampling is over," stated a notification from Changning district.

"We hope that residents... will participate in an orderly way in the PCR testing."

The statements were met with surprise and alarm, with some taking to the Twitter-like Weibo platform to inquire about the impact of the testing on weekend plans, such as relocating or visiting the doctor. Much voiced concern that they could be confined again.

The action is in addition to the city's existing stringent testing standards for its 25 million citizens, which were implemented on June 1 after the citywide lockdown was lifted.

To enter malls, offices, subways, and buses, residents must present evidence that they have taken a Covid-19 test within the past three days. Many have been dissatisfied with waiting in hours-long lineups at more than 15,000 booths dispersed throughout the city.

Due to positive cases and their close contacts, certain city areas have stayed or reverted under lockdown shortly after June 1. Three of the most recent infections that led to several closures were traced to a famous beauty shop in the city center that reopened on June 1 along with the rest of the city.

President Xi Jinping has doubled down on a zero-Covid policy that authorities believe is necessary to protect the elderly and the country's medical system, even though China's infection incidence is very low compared to the rest of the world.

The two-month lockdown in Shanghai sparked widespread discontent, rage, and even rare demonstrations among its citizens, who had to deal with lost wages, the loss of freedom, the death of friends and family members, and even hunger.

In addition, it harmed the Chinese economy, disrupted supply lines, and hindered global trade.