Beijing shut parks, shopping malls and museums on Tuesday as Covid cases continue to rise in the country. Mass testing has also resumed in several cities, raising fresh concerns over the economy.
Several other popular venues, such as the Happy Valley amusement park and the city’s vast Chaoyang Park, a popular spot with runners and picnickers, are also talking of shutting down due to the outbreak. Beijing reported 1,438 new local cases, up from 962 on Sunday.
China reported 28,127 new local cases nationally for Monday, nearing its daily peak from April. Guangzhou and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing reported for about half of them.
Two more deaths have also been reported following the three fatalities over the weekend, China’s first since May.
The spike in cases has dampened expectations of the country’s economy reopening and things getting back to normal. China has recently made adjustments to its strict zero-Covid policy under which authorities have been asked to be more targeted in their clampdown measures and steer away from the widespread lockdowns and testing.
However, despite these changes, China is still following strict rules like no other country. Its borders are literally still closed to outsiders and domestic curbs are tighter than anywhere else in the world.
City-wide testing was ordered in the municipality of Tianjin, near Beijing, on Tuesday, after a similar announcement on Sunday by Shijiazhuang.
Beijing is facing its most severe crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic amid tightened rules for entering the city. Arrivals from elsewhere in China also need to undergo three days of COVID-19 testing before they are permitted to leave their accommodation. Numerous buildings are also often locked down in Beijing, although those restrictions often last just a few days.
(With inputs from agencies)
