Beijing records 22 Covid-19 cases, official warns of 'grim situation'

BEIJING • China yesterday reported 22 new cases of Covid-19 in the capital Beijing for Saturday, after warnings from an official that the city must take urgent action.

"The risk of continued and hidden transmission is high, and the situation is grim," Mr Tian Wei of Beijing's Municipal Party Committee told a press briefing. "The whole city of Beijing must act immediately."

Health official Pang Xinghuo said preliminary observations suggested Covid-19 had been "spreading invisibly" within the capital for a week now, affecting a wide range of people, including students, tour groups for senior people and interior decoration staff.

The infected people had been to a number of places. Therefore, the infection risk remains high and the number of cases is expected to rise in the following days, Dr Pang said.

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

Some residential communities in Chaoyang are also under control management.

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.

Targeted lockdowns have already been imposed on some communities where Covid-19 cases have been found, while some fitness studios in the capital said they were suspending classes indefinitely.

Beijing has also imposed tight controls on entry to the city, with travellers required to have a negative Covid-19 test from within 48 hours of their arrival.

People who have travelled to cities or counties where just a single Covid-19 case has been reported in the past two weeks are denied entry.

CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS