Beijing reports 66 new local COVID-19 cases

As China continues to witness an upsurge in the COVID-19 cases, the Chinese capital city Beijing reported 66 new locally transmitted confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours till 3 pm on Friday, local media reported citing authorities as saying.

At least 20.74 million samples of people were taken for nucleic acid testing in Beijing on Thursday. The samples contained in five tubes tested positive, according to a press briefing held by the municipal government, Xinhua reported.

The total number of high-risk areas in Beijing escalated to 18, after one area in Chaoyang district here was upgraded fom medium-risk area to high-risk area for COVID-19. The medium-risk area in the city stand at 30.

Chaoyang District will carry out further district-wide nucleic acid testing on May 7, 8 and 9. Previously, such testings were conducted in Chaoyang on April 25, 27 and 29, and on May 1, 3, 4 and 5, as reported by Xinhua.

The city is on high-alert on COVID-19 after it resumed operations on Thursday following a five-day holiday of labour day.

People in central Beijing are asked to work from home. The Beijing municipal authorities have asked the people to provide proof of a negative Covid test to enter public venues, NHK World reported.

Further, in a major escalation of COVID-19 restrictions amid a surge in Omicron variant cases, Beijing has banned all restaurant dining and shut down universal studios. More than 60 subway stations have been ordered to shut down.

Throughout the city, the authorities suspended the bus services and around 160 regular routes the buses were changed, NHK World reported.

The report further said that the students of elementary, junior high and senior high schools would be given online classes from now on.

The testing mandates in China have affected 20-million residents. The Chinese people are stockpiling and there is a surge in panic buying at local supermarkets, reported Airrang, a South Korean media outlet.

Xinhua news agency reported that China's much-publicized "zero-covid" strategy that the government credited for bringing the country out of the pandemic till recently is falling apart as the rapidly mounting cases are again forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )