Beijing tightens corona measures
The Chinese capital Beijing has introduced new corona restrictions at the start of a multi-day holiday week. All restaurants are not allowed to receive guests until at least May 4, the city council has announced. Food and drinks may only be collected or delivered. Most shops and public facilities are only allowed to admit customers who can present a negative corona test that is not older than 48 hours.
It was previously announced that more measures will follow after the holiday period. From May 5, a recent Covid negative test is required in the capital to use “all types of public spaces and public transport”, authorities reported on Saturday. For activities such as sporting events and group travel, participants must also present a negative Covid test that is no more than 48 hours old, along with proof of “full vaccination”.
On Sunday, 59 infections were registered in the capital, slightly more than in recent days. In total, more than three hundred people were infected with the virus during the latest corona outbreak. Since the end of April, several residential areas with several thousand inhabitants have been closed off. According to local media, authorities have recently set up a 4,000-bed field hospital where infected people with no or few complaints have to go into isolation.
China is sticking to a strict corona policy with the aim of bringing the number of infections to zero. Successfully executing this strategy has become more difficult as the country is dealing with the contagious omikron variant of the coronavirus.