The inhabitants of Beijing will have to present a negative covid test to access public places from May 5, the authorities of the Chinese capital said on Saturday.
Le Monde with AFP
The Chinese generally take advantage of the extended weekend on the occasion of the Labor Day to travel to the country. This year, the worst flambé of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of 2020 forces a lot to stay at home, while the authorities of the Chinese capital announced on Saturday April 30 that new compulsory tests were going to be put in place in Beijing, in order to to strengthen the measures intended to fight against the coronavirus.
Faced with the highly contagious omicron variant, the Chinese authorities have strengthened their zero covid policy, by carrying out massive screenings and confinements as soon as the first cases appear. These strict measures have led to a slowdown in the country’s economy and an increasing frustration of the population.
Beijing announced on Saturday that, at the end of the five holidays, access to public spaces will be more limited. From May 5, a negative covid test carried out during the past week will be compulsory to enter “many public places and to take public transport”, according to an announcement made on the WeChat account of the capital. For activities such as sporting events and group trips, participants will also have to present a negative covid test carried out in the last 48 hours, as well as proof that they have been fully vaccinated.
10,700 new cases
China has recorded more than 10,700 new positive cases across the country, almost all in Shanghai, the economic capital. The number of new cases is declining in this metropolis in the east of the country, the 25 million inhabitants of which have been decreasing a hard confinement. Some have difficulties in accessing food and many fear, if they are tested positive, to be sent to collective quarantine centers, to very variable comfort.
The Shanghai authorities said on Saturday that the new cases were all recorded in people placed in quarantine or subject to restrictions, which would suggest that the number of contaminations slows down. They specified that hundreds of companies appearing on a “white list” have resumed the work and that a thousand others have been authorized to resume their activities, according to the state media.
In Beijing, the number of new cases amounted to fifty-four on Saturday, according to the National Health Commission. COVVID tests will be free for residents from Tuesday, said state media.