BEIJING (REUTERS) - Beijing, starting on Saturday (July 4), will no longer require some residents seeking to travel out of the Chinese capital to show proof that they have tested negative for Covid-19, a municipal official said on Friday.

Given the declining number of coronavirus cases in the current outbreak, residents from low-risk areas no longer need to provide evidence that they have tested negative, Mr Pan Xuhong, spokesman of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said at a regular news conference.

Beijing has reported 331 confirmed cases in the current outbreak since mid-June.

On Friday (July 3), the country reported five new coronavirus cases for July 2, compared with three cases a day earlier, the health authority said.

Three of the new infections were imported cases, the National Health Commission said in a statement, while the capital city of Beijing reported two new cases.

There were no new deaths.

China also reported four new asymptomatic patients, down from two a day earlier.

As of July 2, mainland China had a total of 83,542 confirmed coronavirus cases, it said.

China's death toll from the coronavirus remained at 4,634.

To stem the spread of the virus, residents from high- and medium-risk areas have been banned from leaving the city.

Until now, residents from low-risk areas, or areas with no confirmed cases for at least two weeks, needed to test negative if they wished to travel out of Beijing.