Beijing will strengthen measures to fight Covid-19 by making it mandatory to undergo a test to access numerous public places, authorities in the Chinese capital announced.
This decision was communicated on the first day of a long weekend by the Labor Day, an occasion that the Chinese take advantage of to travel, but that this year was frustrated. Many had to remain in their places of residence due to the worst outbreak on record since the virus was detected in China at the end of 2019.
Front of Omicron variantwhich is highly contagious, the Chinese authorities reinforced their “zero Covid” policy, which consists of massive tests and imposing lockdowns as soon as the first cases are detected.
These harsh measures have generated a slowdown in the country’s economy and growing frustration among the population.
Beijing announced that after the five holidays, access to public space will be limited and that as of May 5 it will be mandatory to present a Covid-19 test carried out in the last week to enter “many public places and to use public transport “, according to an announcement on the Chinese capital’s WeChat account.
For activities such as sporting events or group trips, it will be necessary to present a covid-19 test of less than 48 hours, in addition to a certificate of complete vaccination.
China registered 10,700 new cases of Covid on Saturday, the majority in the economic capital, Shanghai.
This metropolis, located in the east of the country, has been confined for almost a month and is the largest active outbreak in the country with about 10,100 cases, although this figure is declining and represents about half of the incidence that there was at the beginning. of April.
In Beijingthe cases rose to 54, according to the National Health Commission.
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