The warning followed a new round of restrictions on COVID in Beijing on Thursday, with at least two neighborhoods – including the most densely populated, Chaoyang – closing some nightclubs after an uproar in a busy neighborhood known for its nightlife. shopping and embassy streets. . While China’s infection rate is low by global standards, President Xi Jinping has doubled the zero-COVID policy that authorities say is necessary to protect the elderly and the medical system, even when other countries try to live with it. virus. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register So far, the country of 1.4 billion has seen a total of just 5,226 deaths. The latest cases in Beijing have been linked to a liquor store known as the Heaven Supermarket Bar. Infections have risen since then, with Beijing saying on Saturday that all 61 new cases revealed in the city on Friday had either visited the bar or had links to it. “The recent outbreak of Heaven Supermarket Bar-related incidents is highly explosive in nature and widespread, and the composition of the people involved is also complex,” Xu Hejian, a spokesman for Beijing Municipal Government, told a news conference. The capital reported 46 new local cases of COVID on Saturday by 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT), health official Liu Xiaofeng told the same source. All the cases were discovered among people who were already isolated or under surveillance, Liu said. The city did not announce any new restrictions on information. So far a total of 115 cases and 6,158 close contacts have been reported related to the bar, putting the city of 22 million back in a state of stress. Less than two weeks ago, Beijing eased COVID restrictions imposed to fight a major epidemic that began in April. With the resurgence of COVID, the extensive Universal Beijing Resort – a theme park on the outskirts of the city – canceled the plan to reopen late Friday, saying it would remain closed until further notice. Three of its employees had visited the Heaven Supermarket, according to Beijing authorities. Many neighborhoods in the capital have been locked out, with residents staying at home.
TEST IN THE CITY
In Shanghai, city officials announced three new confirmed local cases and an asymptomatic case detected outside quarantined areas on Saturday as nearly all 25 million city residents embarked on a new round of COVID testing. Authorities ordered a PCR test for all residents in 15 of Shanghai’s 16 districts this weekend, with five districts barring residents from leaving their homes during the trial period. Shanghai residents should have at least one PCR test a week by July 31, a city official told a news conference Saturday. The new tests come just 10 days after the city lifted a two-month lockdown aimed at eliminating the spread of COVID-19 in the community, sparking concerns among many residents who have faced lost income, loss of freedom, death of friends and relatives. even hunger at that time. read more “I’m a little worried because if there are positive cases in the band, it will be put in a tight spot,” said Shang Weiqi, a Shanghai resident. “I will supply some supplies properly in case the previous situation is repeated.” On Saturday, Shanghai reported seven new local symptomatic cases for the previous day, more than a day earlier, six of which were detected outside quarantine. The city also recorded nine new local asymptomatic cases, from six the previous day. In all, mainland China reported 210 new cases of coronavirus as of June 10, of which 79 were asymptomatic and 131 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Saturday. This was higher than 151 new cases a day earlier – 45 symptomatic and 106 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. As of Friday, mainland China had confirmed 224,659 cases of symptoms. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Andrew Galbraith, Ryan Woo, Brenda Goh and the Shanghai Newsroom. Editing by Kim Coghill and David Holmes Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
