Beijing closed some schools and public spaces on Thursday as most of the Chinese capital’s 22 million residents participated in more mass Covid-19 testing to avoid a Shanghai-like lockdown.
Most people in Shanghai have been in stressful home isolation for a month, struggling to meet their basic needs. But as the number of new cases dwindled further, hope was on the horizon, and officials said their focus was shifting to increasing vaccination among the elderly.
However, fears were mounting that China would be stuck in an unsolved game in the next few months, lifting quarantines in some places and imposing them in others, causing serious economic damage and angering its population.
Beijing conducted three rounds of batch testing across most of the city this week, blocking several housing developments, offices and a university.
Some schools, entertainment venues and tourist attractions were also closed. Universal Studios in Beijing said from Friday it will require visitors to show negative test results before entering the theme park.
Canadian Andrew Ward, 36, living in Beijing, was quarantined in a hotel on Thursday despite testing negative. On Wednesday, people in protective suits tested Ward at home after he was identified as a close contact of a Covid case.
“I’m a little pissed off because I spent all this money and time stocking up on groceries for lockdown,” said Ward, who works at an international school.
A municipal health official said Beijing had reported 56 new cases of locally transmitted Covid as of 3pm (local time) on Thursday, since 3pm the day before.
The city’s total number in the current outbreak has risen to 194, of which about half have been detected in Chaoyang, its most populated area known for its nightlife, shopping malls and embassies.
source: Noticias
