What’s new: As the Chinese capital continues to report new local Covid-19 cases, Beijing announced Saturday that travelers into the city must present a recent negative test.
From Wednesday, most travelers into Beijing will need to present a negative nucleic acid test result from the prior 48 hours as well as a green health code — which shows they haven’t recently visited any area deemed high risk, or come into close contact with a positive case.
Previously, this level of restriction was only applied to those who had recently traveled to county-level regions that had reported Covid cases.
The document also advises people who’ve traveled to areas with border crossings in the past 14 days to avoid the city unless necessary.
The announcement called for strict management on activities such as conferences and group training. The organizers should conduct “closed-loop” management and those in attendance should remain in designated areas.
Those who commute into Beijing will also be required to present a negative Covid test from the previous 48 hours the first time they enter the city after Wednesday, though they can continue to use this result to enter for 14 subsequent days.
The background: The tightened travel policies come as locally transmitted cases continue to be reported, with instances reported in Chaoyang, Haidian, Changping and Fengtai districts. As of Monday, the city has recorded 47 confirmed cases in the latest Covid flare-up, according to local health authorities.
The most recent case was announced on Saturday, when one locally transmitted case was revealed in Haidian.
On Sunday, authorities lifted lockdowns on a residential building in Fengtai and one in Haidian that had reported cases late last month.
The local Covid outbreaks that began in mid-October have spread to 21 of the Chinese mainland’s 31 provincial-level regions, with more than 1,300 locally transmitted infections recorded in dozens of cities. Beijing is on particular alert because it is scheduled to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)
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