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Reuters
Reuters
Health
Engen Tham and Xie Yu

Expats flee as Shanghai's COVID lockdown drags

FILE PHOTO: A foreign woman carrying bottled water walks on a street during lockdown amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Shanghai, China, April 15, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

Shanghai's heavy-handed COVID-19 lockdown is driving scores of foreign residents to flee the commercial centre, denting the appeal of mainland China's most cosmopolitan city and prompting others to rethink their futures in the metropolis.

While no official statistics are available for departures in recent weeks, pet movers, property agents and law firms say they are seeing a sharp uptick in departure queries, while online chat groups swapping advice on how to leave the city amid lockdown curbs have swelled.

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