Health authorities on the mainland on Thursday reported 1,016 new coronavirus infections, down 289 from the day before.

Most of the new cases were recorded in Shanghai, which reported 82 symptomatic infections and 637 patients without symptoms, as well as one Covid-related death.

Officials from the financial hub said the latest fatality was a 64-year-old man who suffered from hypertension and diabetes.

Meanwhile, the city's officials said Shanghai will start to allow more businesses in zero-Covid areas to resume normal operations from the beginning of June.

Deputy mayor Zhang Wei told a news conference that the economy has been steadily returning to normal, with daily container throughput at Shanghai's ports now at around 90 percent of the levels a year ago.

Elsewhere on the mainland, 149 cases were found in Sichuan province and, and 55 were from Beijing. (Additional reporting by Reuters)