Beijing starts rigorous screening to contain rising Omicron infections
Beijing reported 62 Covid-19 infections yesterday, 11 of them asymptomatic, as the city started testing its 20 million residents and officials accused companies of flouting pandemic control measures.
Residents in 12 districts in Beijing will be tested for the coronavirus each day for three days as authorities rush to contain an outbreak of more than 400 cases since April 22.
The mass testing, which covers most of the city’s population, follows three previous rounds of screening that ended last week.
Overall, the mainland reported 6,015 infections yesterday, with 95 per cent of the cases from Shanghai. Other cases were found in areas such as Liaoning, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Xinjiang.
In Beijing, officials in Chaoyang district – where 40 per cent of cases in the current wave have been found – issued a public notice on WeChat listing 45 companies they said had not complied with Covid-19 restrictions.
Some of the offenders were restaurants that offered dine-in services despite a ban since Sunday, while others had staff who flouted mask-wearing rules.
Some shops were listed because their staff or customers did not scan health codes and have their temperature checked before entering.
The Beijing municipal administration centre of parks said indoor areas at the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Beijing Zoo and other parks remained closed from yesterday as part of Covid-19 control measures.
Indoor exhibition halls of all museums in the city were also closed to prevent the gathering of crowds, according to the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau.
The closure of attractions, including the Universal Studios theme park and the Palace Museum, came into effect as people took a five-day break over the Labour Day holiday.
Education officials in Beijing said the return of pupils to kindergartens, primary, secondary and vocational schools would be delayed by a week, which meant they would learn from home until at least May 11.
Pupils, teachers and staff who live on campus are expected to stay put, unless they need to leave for a job search, an internship or medical appointments, according to the authorities.
When residents return to work from tomorrow, they will be required to show a negative Covid-19 result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which will remain valid for seven days, to enter public facilities and use public transport in Beijing.
Also starting tomorrow, people entering or leaving the capital will have to show a negative result from a PCR test done within the previous 48 hours.
Those from areas deemed mid- or high-risk and from areas under Covid-19 isolation would not be allowed to leave the city, authorities said.
The Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, affiliated with the Capital Medical University, yesterday said it would resume its outpatient service today, requiring patients to make appointments and show a negative result from a PCR test done within the previous 48 hours.
Repeated tests are part of China’s “dynamic zero-Covid” policy to combat the country’s worst wave of Covid-19 infections since it contained the initial outbreak in Wuhan in 2020.
The surge has been driven by the Omicron variant, particularly in Shanghai where residents have been in some form of lockdown for more than a month.
China’s strict approach to containing Covid-19 is coming under pressure as more countries ease curbs and the draconian measures take a high economic toll.