Weekly News Wrap: Shanghai malls keep to vaccinated customers; Singapore eases dine-in restrictions

And Chinese grocery app Dingdong Maicai is filing for a US IPO.

From Reuters:

A few malls in Shanghai have started asking visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with one shopping centre’s temporary decision to bar entry, sparking a backlash on social media.

A video showing a local resident arguing with security guards about the legitimacy of barring unvaccinated people at the entrance of the Pacific Life Plaza in Shanghai has been shared tens of hundreds of times on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

Several vendors told Reuters that the mall was blocking unvaccinated customers at the entrance, though people could still sneak in from the exit. The mall operator could not be immediately reached for comment.

Inoculation is voluntary in China, with officials explicitly told not to enforce compulsory jabs.

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From Bloomberg:

Singapore is allowing dining-in at food outlets to resume after aggressive virus restrictions over the past month stemmed an outbreak in infections.

From 14 June, group sizes will be raised to five from two persons, whilst operating capacities of attractions, events and cruises will be increased to 50% from 25%, the health ministry said in a statement. From 21 June, dining-in at restaurants can resume.

“Further relaxations such as for group and event sizes, capacity limits, distancing requirements, mask-wearing and travel will be introduced when a sufficient proportion of the population has been fully vaccinated, especially for those who are vaccinated,” it said in the statement.

The country’s daily virus count has dropped to the single-digit range since lockdown-like restrictions such as smaller group sizes and the ban on dining-in were imposed in mid-May, after an outbreak from Changi Airport resulted in the country’s largest active cluster.

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From Reuters:

Chinese grocery app Dingdong Maicai, backed by investors including Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global Management, aims to raise around $500m in its US IPO to compete in a crowded sector, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The company filed for the IPO on 8 June  but did not give any details of the size of the isssue or valuation. Dingdong is targeting a valuation of at least $6b in the offering, said two of the people, who declined to be named as the information is confidential.

A valuation target however has not been finalised and could change depending on market feedback, they cautioned.

Dingdong plans to open books for the IPO in two weeks and a listing could take place as early as the end of June, said two of them.

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