Beijing goes on high alert for Covid; mass testing, lockdowns begin
Authorities in Beijing, a city of over 20 million people, have ordered mandatory Covid tests in the Chaoyang district and locked down some areas of the national capital.
FollowThe Coronavirus situation has turned 'grim' in China with parts of the capital city Beijing witnessing mass testing in the wake of a resurgence in the number of daily Covid cases.
Authorities in Beijing, a city of over 20 million people, have ordered mandatory Covid tests in the Chaoyang district and locked down some areas of the national capital.
Chinese health officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of the kind of outbreak that sent Shanghai into lockdown mode for weeks.
Watch: Unsettling video of children in PPE kits in Shanghai goes viral
The harsh lockdowns and mass testing of China's strict zero-Covid policy are taking a massive toll on the people's morale and businesses. According to health officials, preliminary investigations had found that Covid may have been spreading invisibly in Beijing for over a week.
Adding to the mounting concerns, almost a quarter of cases being reported in Beijing are in the age group of 60 and above, a majority of whom are yet to be fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, panic is settling in among the residents of Beijing. Residents could be seen rushing to stores to stock up on groceries and other essentials as the number of Covid cases rose again.
Beijing authorities are already clamping down on travel into the national capital. Travellers coming into Beijing have to mandatorily carry a negative Covid test within 48 hours.
The impact of the Covid knocking on Beijing's doors again was seen in the share market as well. Chinese stocks slumped to the lowest in almost two years as news emerged that Shanghai-style lockdowns could be witnessed in parts of Beijing.
The Covid situation in Shanghai, despite the lockdown by authorities, continues to remain serious with 2,473 local infections being reported on Sunday. With this, the number of asymptomatic cases in Shanghai went up to 16,983. Authorities in Shanghai also reported 39 Covid fatalities.
Image: Residents queue up for COVID-19 nucleic acid tests at Songyuli community in Beijing, China. Songyuli community in Beijing's Chaoyang District has been classified as a high-risk area for COVID-19. Photograph: Jiang Qiming/China News Service via Getty Images
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