China's commercial hub Shanghai has lifted its ban on dining inside eateries, now that the city has emerged from more than two months of coronavirus lockdown.

Shanghai reported no new case of the coronavirus on Tuesday, excluding arrivals from abroad. The city has had only four cases over five days through Tuesday.

Municipal authorities on Wednesday allowed eateries across the city to accept eat-in customers.

But that applies only in districts where no new case has been confirmed within a week.

Authorities also plan to limit the number of customers according to floor space.

A restaurant that serves Hokkaido cuisine in a district with many Japanese residents was already crowded before noon.

One customer said she came as soon as she heard it is okay to eat-in at the restaurant.

Owner Monma Yuichi said he does not know how the Chinese government's policy will change, but he is receiving encouragement from patrons.

Many eateries in Shanghai are struggling as they had no income during the lockdown.

While municipal authorities hope to keep anti-virus measures in place, they aim to hasten the restarting of the city's economy.