New COVID cases increase by a third in Shanghai, which expands confinement zones

By Brenda Goh and Roxanne Liu SHANGHAI, March 30 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities began locking down some areas of western Shanghai two days ahead of schedule as new COVID-19 cases in the country's most populous city surged by a third despite lockdowns. strict measures to stop the spread of the virus. Home to 26 million people, China's financial hub is in the third day of a lockdown that divides the city roughly along the Huangpu River, separating the historic sector to the west of the river from the financial and industrial areas to the east for carry out massive tests…