Status: 04/30/2022 5:37 p.m
During the May Holiday, restaurants in Beijing are not allowed to open their interiors to guests. A negative test is also required after the holidays to use public transport and stay in public places.
In order to prevent the corona virus from spreading further in Beijing, the city administration has tightened the protective measures again. Beyond the five-day vacation, all citizens must now show a negative corona test if they want to “visit public places or use public transport”, as the authorities in the Chinese capital announced.
For activities such as sporting events and group trips, a negative corona test that must not be older than 48 hours will also be required in the future, as well as proof of “complete vaccination protection”. Parks and amusement venues may only operate at half capacity during the holidays.
During the days off until May 4th, restaurant visits in the Chinese capital are also prohibited, and residents are only allowed to have food delivered. The authorities said that going to restaurants was a risk of infection.
Free tests starting Tuesday
Beijing’s administration had previously ordered negative corona tests for everyone who wanted to visit public areas such as shopping malls, shops or sights over the days off from April 30 to May 4. The order has now been extended to include the time thereafter. According to the authorities, all tests will be free from Tuesday.
Around 150 buildings were recently sealed off in Beijing after around a hundred corona infections had been detected within a week. Almost all 22 million inhabitants have to be tested for the virus. Exhibitions, performances and wedding celebrations were cancelled, and sports facilities also had to close.
10,700 new infections within 24 hours
The number of new infections in Beijing rose to at least 54, according to the National Health Commission, bringing the total number of infections in the city to nearly 300 since April 22.
According to the authorities, 4,000 temporary hospital beds are set up, as are normally used for Covid patients with no or only mild symptoms. They also want to speed up the establishment of larger quarantine centers.
Nationwide, more than 10,700 new cases of infection were registered within 24 hours, most of them in the economic metropolis of Shanghai. The number of new infections there is now declining again.