Beijing has basically controlled the latest local COVID-19 outbreak ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday. The local authority said on Tuesday that it will change the classification of the capital’s last high-risk area for the coronavirus into a low-risk one on Tuesday, having cleared all its high- and medium-risk areas after seeing zero local cases for 10 consecutive days.
Beijing is lifting the lockdown on residential compounds in suburban Daxing district, which were sealed earlier after nine confirmed COVID-19 cases were found, the Daxing government said at a press conference on Tuesday.
All residents in the related compounds will undergo nucleic acid testing. Although the lockdown will end, local residents must report their body temperatures for seven consecutive days and keep themselves away from gatherings and collective activities, said the Daxing government.
The capital won’t relax its epidemic prevention measures during CNY. It will prohibit people from gathering and strictly limit gathering activities in residential communities and villages, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the municipal center for disease prevention and control, said on Tuesday.
Beijing still faces dual risks from overseas epidemic imports and local virus transmission as the CNY holiday approaches, when the movements of people and goods will increase, according to Pang.
The holiday, therefore, will not only be the most important festival this year for [Chinese] people, but also a key point in epidemic prevention and control, the local authority said. There can be no respite in the fight against COVID-19, it said.
People in Beijing’s Daxing district undergo nucleic acid testing. Photo: VCG
