A Shanghai resident is tested while in detention as part of China’s anti-Covid fight April 30, 2022. ALY SONG / REUTERS
Chinese usually use the long weekend on Labor Day to travel around the country. This year, the worst outbreak of Covid-19 cases since early 2020 is forcing many to stay at home, while authorities in the Chinese capital stepped up measures to combat the coronavirus on Saturday, May 30.
Faced with the highly contagious Omicron variant, Chinese authorities have stepped up their zero-Covid policy, conducting massive screening and containment as soon as the first cases emerge. These strict measures have slowed the country’s economy and increased popular frustration.
Beijing announced on Saturday that it would further restrict access to public spaces after the five public holidays. From May 5, a negative Covid test taken within the past week will be mandatory to “enter many public places and use public transport,” according to an announcement on the capital’s WeChat account. For activities such as sporting events and group travel, participants must also provide a negative Covid test taken within the last 48 hours, along with proof that they have been fully vaccinated.
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More than 10,700 new cases
China has registered more than 10,700 new positive cases nationwide, almost all of them in Shanghai, the economic capital. In this metropolis in the east of the country, whose 25 million inhabitants have been under a strict curfew since the beginning of April, the number of new cases is falling. Some are struggling to access food and many fear they will be sent to collective quarantine centers with widely varying levels of comfort if they test positive.
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Shanghai authorities said Saturday the new cases were all registered among people under quarantine or restrictions, suggesting the number of infections is slowing. They said hundreds of companies on a “white list” had gone back to work and a thousand more had been allowed to resume operations, according to state media.
In Beijing, the number of new cases rose to fifty-four on Saturday, according to the National Health Commission. Covid testing will be free for residents from Tuesday, state media said.