Mass testing in Beijing over 'ferocious' Covid-19 outbreak

BEIJING • Beijing's most populous district of Chaoyang has announced three rounds of mass testing to quell a "ferocious" Covid-19 outbreak that emerged in a bar in its nightlife and shopping area last week, shortly after the city relaxed curbs imposed during an outbreak in April.

City health officials said that so far, there have been 166 confirmed cases linked to the outbreak that began at the Heaven Supermarket bar in the Sanlitun area last Thursday, with 145 of them bar patrons.

Mass testing would take place between today and Wednesday in Chaoyang district, officials told a press briefing.

Mr Xu Hejian, a Beijing city government spokesman, said at the briefing yesterday that the current outbreak in the capital is "ferocious".

"At present, the risk of a further spread still exists.

"The most urgent task at the moment is to trace the source of the cluster and also manage and control the risks," he said, adding that Beijing must prevent the emergence of "epidemic amplifiers".

Two buildings housing hundreds of residents in a Chaoyang compound were put under strict lockdown yesterday after a single positive case, a residential committee worker told Reuters.

Large metal barricades were installed around the compound.

Staff in hazmat suits carrying disinfectant were seen and extra security and police officers were brought in at the exits.

Several businesses nearby, including the Paradise Massage & Spa, were also put under temporary lockdown, with police tape and security personnel brought in to block the exits.

A handful of customers and staff at the parlour would be locked in for at least two days while checks were carried out, a government worker told Reuters.

It has been only a week since state media reported that Beijing would further relax Covid-19 curbs by allowing indoor dining.

In Shanghai, which was under two months of lockdown until the start of this month, the authorities announced on Saturday a round of testing for most of its 25 million residents.

Shanghai officials said they found one symptomatic and four asymptomatic cases as at yesterday afternoon, after finding 10 new local symptomatic cases and 19 local asymptomatic cases a day earlier.

Dine-in services will be allowed to resume in a number of restaurants and eateries in three suburban districts, Shanghai officials said.

China recorded 275 new coronavirus cases for Saturday, of which 134 were symptomatic and 141 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said yesterday.

There were no new deaths, leaving the total tally in the pandemic at 5,226.

As at Saturday, mainland China had confirmed 224,781 cases with symptoms.

BLOOMBERG