BEIJING (REUTERS, CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - More than a dozen buildings in Beijing's largest district will be put under lockdown, after the Chinese capital reported 22 new cases for Saturday (April 23).

The district of Chaoyang, home to 3.45 million people, will also require everyone living or working in the area to undergo three Covid-19 tests this week, the city government of Beijing said on Sunday.

Among those who had tested positive so far were students, tour groups for senior citizens and people who work in interior decoration. The infected people had been to a number of places.

As a result, the infection risk remains high and the number of cases is expected to rise in the following days, said Dr Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

A school in Chaoyang district reported 10 cases on Friday and Saturday. The school was put under control management on Friday.

All the drivers and tour guides of tourist companies that organised urban tours in the 14 days before Saturday have been asked to undergo nucleic acid tests and work from home before the results come out.

Chaoyang residents stocked up on groceries on Sunday evening, fearing lockdown could be coming.  

One middle-aged resident, who declined to give his name, carried five large bags of rice and three large bottles of cooking oil amongst other items in his shopping trolley.

“The lockdown could happen in a couple of days. That’s what people are saying. But really, we don’t know,” he said.