In order to suppress a fresh COVID-19 epidemic, China’s capital Beijing is demanding mass testing and restricting access to neighborhoods.
The news of the tests had caused panic purchasing in the 21-million-strong metropolis on Monday, but the situation looked to have calmed down on Tuesday, with public transportation running on time and roadways filled with commuters.
The scenario in Shanghai, China’s southern commercial powerhouse, has fueled fears of total lockdown, since 25 million citizens have just been permitted to leave their houses gradually after three weeks of confinement.
As the omicron strain of the coronavirus spreads, the cities of Anyang in central China and Dandong on the border with North Korea have become the latest to implement lockdowns.
Shanghai has been suffocated by stringent lockdowns, forcing inhabitants to gather together to obtain food delivered via group buying. The backlog of goods at Shanghai’s port has hampered supply and manufacturing activity, stifling economic development.
Residents in a 2-by-3-kilometer (1-by-2-mile) region in Beijing were told to work from home and stay in their residential complexes. Stadiums, sports fields, theatres, karaoke bars, and other entertainment places were ordered shuttered, albeit it wasn’t a complete lockdown.
In other news, the city shut down parts or all of the buildings in five residential compounds, adding to the two-day lockdown of others. In the most recent wave, Beijing has had 80 cases, while Shanghai has seen more than 300,000 and 190 fatalities this month.
