Beijing in ‘race against time’ to curb outbreak
The Chinese city has seen its highest no. of daily Covid-19 cases in three weeks, with the capital moving to reimpose some curbs
BEIJING: Chinese authorities on Tuesday launched a multi-department probe into a 24-hour bar in Beijing at the centre of rapidly spreading Covid-19 outbreak that has triggered mass tests, sent thousands of contacts to centralised quarantine facilities and closed down entertainment venues across the capital.
A joint team comprising officials from several departments, including health and public security will work together to investigate the Heaven Supermarket bar, “quickly, strictly and seriously”, the state-backed Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday.
The Heaven Supermarket bar had reopened for in-dining on June 6, the very day when the latest outbreak was triggered by an individual said to have not taken Covid-19 test for days.
As a result, Chaoyang began a three-day mass testing on Monday
for its roughly 3.5 million residents. The renewal of daily testing comes days after Beijing eased restrictions on movement and allowed staggered testing after seemingly bringing under control the ongoing outbreak, which started on April 22.
About 10,000 close contacts of the bar’s patrons have been identified, authorities said, adding that their residential buildings have been locked down.
From June 9 to 3pm on June 13, the city reported 228 infections in the Covid-19 cluster related to the bar across 100 communities; overall, Beijing has reported over 2,000 cases since April 22. People infected in the outbreak live or work in 14 of the capital’s 16 districts, authorities have said.
“We should go all out, race against time,” He Lijian, spokesman for the Beijing municipal government, said, referring to efforts to contain the outbreak.
Police have launched a criminal investigation into the person in charge of the bar on suspected interference with epidemic prevention. All of the city’s bars, nightclubs, karaoke venues, internet cafes and other places of entertainment were being inspected with those in underground spaces being shut as prevention work is “tightened”.