Shopping malls and department stores in Shanghai are scheduled to restart on-site operations and open their doors from June 1, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday citing the municipality's commerce commission, in the latest sign of an accelerated return to normal in the Chinese financial hub.

Currently, shopping malls, department stores and specialty stores, among other retail outlets ought to be fully prepared for on-site operations, implement a closed-loop management of staffers and perform precautionary disinfection before the reopening, according to the city's plans. The measures are pushing commerce and trade businesses to resume operations in an orderly manner while consolidating Shanghai's virus containment achievements.

Commercial establishments are also required to post a "venue code" or install "digital sentry" machines at the entrance for health checks. In addition to on-site purchases, customers can shop online with curbside pickup.

These businesses are allowed to restart operations in batches, with customer capacity capped at 50 percent until May 31 that will go up to 75 percent after June 1, the report said.

Meanwhile, the city is pushing for an orderly return to normal for local catering, hairdressing and laundry among other services.

Prior to May 31, catering services will offer takeaway both online and on-site. Hairdressing and laundry services can be accessed through online booking with a 50 percent capacity limit.

Additionally, housekeeping and home appliance repair services will gradually resume operations from May 22, according to the city's resumption road map, which states that local commerce and trade businesses will implement a full closed-loop management, with a two-day monitoring period for newly returned staffers.

Shanghai is inching back toward reopening after the latest wave of Omicron brought the megacity of 25 million to a standstill. Community transmission of the virus in all its 16 districts has been cut off, Xinhua reported.

It is expected that normality in the whole city will be fully restored between June 1 and mid- or late-June under the premise of strictly preventing the rebound of the epidemic and controlling the risks, Vice Mayor Zong Ming told reporters on May 16, giving a clear timetable for the city's comeback.

The city reported 58 confirmed locally transmitted coronavirus infections and 422 local asymptomatic cases on Monday, the municipal health commission disclosed on Tuesday.