Beijing closed some schools and public spaces on Thursday as most of the Chinese capital’s 22 million residents attended more mass Covid19 testing to avoid a Shanghailike lockdown.
Most people in Shanghai have been in stressful domestic isolation for a month and are struggling to meet their basic needs. But there was hope on the horizon as the number of new cases continued to fall and officials said their focus was shifting to increasing vaccination among the elderly.
However, fears grew that China would be mired in an unresolved game over the next few months, lifting lockdowns in some places and imposing them on others, causing severe economic damage and angering the populace.
As Beijing conducted three rounds of mass testing across most of the city this week, it blocked several housing developments, offices and a university.
Some schools, entertainment venues and tourist attractions have also been closed. Universal Studios in Beijing said visitors will be required to show negative test results before they can enter the theme park, starting Friday.
Andrew Ward, 36, a Canadian living in Beijing, was quarantined at a hotel on Thursday despite his test results coming back negative. On Wednesday, people in hazmat suits tested Ward at home after he was identified as a close contact of a Covid case.
“I’m a little pissed off because I wasted all that money and time shopping for groceries that’s cooped up at home,” said Ward, who works at an international school.
Beijing reported 56 new locally transmitted Covid cases as of 3 p.m. Thursday (local time) since 3 p.m. the day before, a municipal health official said.
The city’s total in the current outbreak rose to 194, almost half of which were spotted in Chaoyang, the most populous district known for its nightlife, malls and embassies.