The Labor Day holiday, which began on Saturday this year, has traditionally been a busy time for mass travel and gatherings in China. But there’s little Christmas spirit this year as the Chinese government doubles down on its zero-Covid policy to combat the country’s worst outbreak since Wuhan.
Many Beijing residents have rushed to stock up on food and daily necessities over the past week, fearing that a Shanghai-style lockdown could cause shortages.
Authorities in Beijing have already implemented several rounds of mass testing, closing dozens of residential communities and suspending schools, but restrictions were tightened further at the start of the holidays.
On Saturday, Beijing officials announced that dining services at restaurants would be suspended during the holiday period.
After the holidays, workers and students will be A negative Covid test, taken within the previous 48 hours, is required to return to work or school. And starting May 5, residents must provide a negative covid test, taken within the previous seven days, to enter all public places, including public transportation. All residents must be tested for covid at least once a week, according to authorities.
On Sunday, Universal Beijing Resort said its Universal Studios theme park and CityWalk shopping area would close immediately after receiving “guidance” from disease control authorities. He did not say when the park would reopen.
Beijing reported 59 local infections on Sunday, the highest number of daily cases in its current outbreak. The city has reported more than 300 cases since April 20.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, authorities said on Sunday that community transmission in the city had been “effectively controlled” after more than a month of a strict lockdown that confined most of its 25 million residents to their homes.
Shanghai reported 7,872 local cases on Sunday, continuing an overall downward trend since April 13, officials said at a news conference. The city also reported 38 new deaths, bringing the total death toll from the current outbreak to 422.
In the past two weeks, the city has stepped up efforts to send all cases to government quarantine sites.