Shanghai, Mar 28 (IANS): Amid a Covid-19 resurgence, Shanghai on Monday launched a new round of nucleic acid testing across the city and a nine-day lockdown has also come into force which is the largest in China since the onset of the pandemic more than two years ago.

From 5 a.m. March 28 to 5 a.m. April 1, temporary closed-off management will be enforced in regions lying to the east and south of the Huangpu River, including Pudong and its adjacent areas, to carry out nucleic acid testing, Xinhua news agency quoted the city's Covid-19 prevention and control office as saying.

Then from 3 a.m. on April 1 to 3 a.m. on April 5, similar temporary closed-off management and testing will be launched mainly in urban districts west of the Huangpu River.

The office said the measure is taken to curb the virus spread, protect people's life and health, and achieve the dynamic zero-Covid target as soon as possible.

In areas affected, closed-off management will take place in residential communities and residents will be required to stay indoors, while non-contact delivery of necessities will be allowed.

Besides, all enterprises, except those necessary for ensuring the people's daily needs and the city's operation, will run under closed-off management or have their employees work from home.

Meanwhile, services including bus, subway, ferry, taxi and online ride-hailing will be suspended in the areas under closed management.

The latest measures in Shanghai comes after the entire Jilin province and the technology hub of Shenzhen were placed under lockdowns earlier this month due to a spike in local Covid cases.

As of Monday, China's overall Covid-19 caseload and death toll stood at 1,274,104 and 11,890.