Beijing will step up measures to combat Covid19 with mandatory screening to allow people access to various public places, Chinese capital authorities announced.
The decision was announced on the first day of a long Labor Day weekend. The Chinese usually use this date to travel, but this year the plans of thousands of people were thwarted.
Many residents are forced to stay home due to the worst Covid outbreak in China since the country discovered the new coronavirus in late 2019 and faced the first wave of the disease in early 2020.
To combat the highly contagious Ômicron variant, Chinese authorities have stepped up the “Covid Zero” policy, which consists of largescale testing and curfews when the first cases are detected.
The strict measures led to a slowdown in the country’s economy and growing frustration among the population.
Beijing announced that after a fiveday holiday break, access to public spaces will be restricted and that it will use public transport from the 5th”.
The news was published on the Chinese capital’s WeChat app account.
For activities such as sporting events or group travel, you must present a Covid test of less than 48 hours and a full vaccination record.
China recorded 10,700 new cases of Covid on Saturday, most of them in Shanghai, the country’s economic capital.
This metropolis in the country’s eastern region has been in confinement for nearly a month and is the largest active focus of the disease in the country, with nearly 10,100 cases. However, the number is declining, accounting for almost half of the incidence recorded in early April.
In Beijing, 54 cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, according to the National Health Commission.