Beijing curbs movements even as cases fall

BEIJING • The Beijing government has limited the movement of people in more parts of the city, even as it reported fewer Covid-19 cases yesterday, to lower virus risks just over a week before the Winter Olympics begin.

Beijing's Fengtai district said late on Wednesday that residents in more areas should not leave their residential compounds for unnecessary reasons and must have a daily Covid-19 test.

The district, which has reported more local virus cases than others in the current outbreak in Beijing, had already locked down some compounds that house tens of thousands of people.

Several other city districts have imposed movement restrictions in certain areas.

Beijing reported five locally transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Wednesday, down from 14 a day earlier, the National Health Commission (NHC) said yesterday.

Although case numbers are low compared to outbreaks globally, China's practice is to immediately contain any outbreak. Containment of the coronavirus takes on added urgency as the Olympics approach and as hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel for Chinese New Year.

"I'm anxious everyday because the virus situation is still quite serious," said a traveller surnamed Wang at Beijing Railway Station. "I don't want to bring trouble to my hometown. Now I tested negative, but what if it changes to positive?"

Travel in the first 10 days of the holiday season across China rose 46 per cent from the same period last year, but is still below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, a national transportation authority official said yesterday.

Beijing Olympics organisers said 23 new cases of Covid-19 were detected among Games-related personnel on Wednesday, including eight among those already in the closed-loop Olympics bubble and the rest on arrival at the airport.

In Shanghai, a locally transmitted case of the Omicron variant was detected on Monday, state television said yesterday.

The capital has found 60 local cases with symptoms since Jan 15, NHC data shows. Beijing officials have said most cases are the Delta variant, with a handful of Omicron cases. At least eight provinces, regions and municipalities in China have found locally transmitted Omicron infections.

Immigration officials said trips by foreigners in and out of China fell 65.9 per cent in 2021 compared to the previous year.

REUTERS