Shanghai's Disney Resort: COVID lockdown traps people inside

Videos showed people rushing to the theme park's gates, which were already locked, and it left a reported 20,000 visitors trapped.

The lockdown occurred at 11.39am local time on Monday, and visitors were ordered to stay in the park until they returned a negative test for the virus.

According to reports from The Washington Post, all guests have now left the park after an "expedited" testing process, because all results were negative.

It comes as Shanghai reported 10 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday.

Shanghai's Disney Resort did not respond when asked how many people had been trapped inside and when the park would reopen.

The theme park continued to operate rides for visitors stuck inside during the closure, social media users reported.

China's controversial zero-COVID policy has already seen millions of people locked down in unusual locations, including a Shanghai branch of furniture giant IKEA.

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The closure marks the latest disruption for the Shanghai Disney Resort, which was shut for more than three months during Shanghai's lockdown earlier this year.

The park was also closed for two days in November last year, with more than 30,000 visitors stuck inside, after authorities ordered all of them to be tested in a contact tracing exercise.

Chinese authorities continue to impose abrupt and extreme measures to cut any possibility of virus transmission once cases arise, in line with the country's ultra-strict zero-tolerance approach towards COVID-19.