Shanghai easing virus rules, Hong Kong ending entry ban

By JOE McDONALD
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Officials in Shanghai have promised to ease anti-virus controls on truck drivers that are hampering food supplies, while Hong Kong’s government announced the end of a 2-year-old ban on non-residents flying into the city as its outbreak fades. Streets in Shanghai are largely empty despite an easing of restrictions that confined most of its 25 million people to their homes. Many still are barred from leaving their neighborhoods. Most offices and factories are closed. A deputy mayor promised “every effort” to resolve problems that prompted complaints about a lack of access to food. The Hong Kong government said non-residents who are vaccinated and have a negative virus test will be allowed to fly in starting May 1.