China
Beijing is tightening its corona measures
A medical worker tests a resident for the coronavirus in Daxing District. Photo: Peng Ziyang/XinHua/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
After Shanghai, the latest wave of corona infections is now leading to further lockdown measures in the Chinese capital. The country is pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy.
China’s capital introduced strict corona restrictions at the beginning of a holiday week lasting several days.
All restaurants in the city should therefore remain closed to guests until at least May 4th, as the city government announced on Saturday evening. Food and drinks may only be offered for pick-up or delivery.
In addition, most shops and public facilities in Beijing are only allowed to let in customers with a current PCR test that is not older than 48 hours.
On Sunday, the National Health Commission registered 59 infections in Beijing. In total, over 300 people were infected with the virus during the latest wave of infections in the capital. Several housing estates, each with several thousand inhabitants, have been cordoned off since the end of April. According to media reports, the authorities recently completed a Covid field hospital with around 4,000 beds, in which asymptomatic and mildly infected people are to be isolated.
China is still pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy, responding to even the smallest outbreaks of infection with mass testing and lockdowns. But even the Chinese government’s rigid measures are being put to the test by the highly contagious omicron variant at the latest.