Shanghai logs 25,000 Covid-19 cases; vows action on lockdown violators

China's commercial capital, Shanghai, warned on Wednesday that anyone who violates Covid-19 lockdown rules will be dealt with strictly, while also rallying citizens to defend their city as its tally of new cases rebounded to more than 25,000.

The city police department spelled out the restrictions that most of the 25 million residents are facing and called on them to “fight the epidemic with one heart ... and work together for an early victory”. 

“Those who violate the provisions of this notice will be dealt with in strict accordance with the law by public security organs ... If it constitutes a crime, they will be investigated according to law,” the department said in a statement.

The financial hub is under huge pressure to try to contain China's biggest Covid outbreak since the coronavirus was first discovered in the city of Wuhan in late 2019. Shanghai police also warned increasingly frustrated residents, millions of whom are confined to their homes and struggling to get daily supplies, not to spread false information or forge road passes or other clearance certificates.

Residents battling to secure delivery slots for their food are also facing surging prices which the government is keen to keep a lid on. Peng Wenhao, an official with Shanghai's market supervision bureau, told reporters that authorities had issued 38,000 letters of warning against price gouging and was also investigating complaints of irregular pricing on 

social media.