Report
Beijing massively tests its population against the spread of the Omicron variant
Residents of Beijing get tested on April 25, 2022. AFP - JADE GAO
Text by: Stéphane Lagarde Follow
3 mins
For the third day in a row, Covid contaminations are down slightly in Shanghai and it is now to Beijing that all eyes are turned.
In the capital, the cases are multiplying and almost all of the 22 million inhabitants of the city must be tested.
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From our correspondent in Beijing,
16 districts, or 90% of the capital's inhabitants, are affected by this massive screening, according to the
Huanqiu
newspaper
.
And for many Beijingers this Tuesday morning, it was again the call of the PCR on the loudspeaker.
“
Dawn is rising, wake up people
”, thus launches a health worker in a full protective suit in one of these many “
megaphone alarm clocks
” which have turned on the networks.
"
For those who dream, for those who snore or those who prepare lunch in their pajamas,
says the latter
, it's time for the Covid tests!
".
315th Prevention and Control Conference
What is nicely said about online sharing is actually quite restrictive.
Since Monday April 25, long queues have formed on the sidewalks of the capital.
Barriers and white tents generally mark these temporary test centers where, given the crowds, some had to wait more than two hours.
This is the largest Covid-19 screening campaign organized in the capital since the start of the pandemic.
The city authorities are worried.
“
In order to curb the risk of spread, it was decided to widen the scope of screening
,” the propaganda director of the Beijing municipal party committee confirmed Monday evening in remarks reported by
the
Beijing News
.
Eighty cases were discovered in four days, in particular among college students, groups of elderly people or construction workers.
But the virus circulated for "
at least a week
" before being detected, local health authorities also explained at the 315th viral pneumonia prevention and control press conference in Beijing.
In this race against time in the face of the rebound of the Omicron variant, the municipality has in mind the example of Canton and Shenzhen,
where the rapid implementation of health restrictions
has made it possible to partially contain the outbreaks of infections.
“
Moderately strict
” measures
The measures put in place in Beijing are currently described as “
moderately strict
”.
Nevertheless, several residential and office areas
are already "sealed"
, particularly in the large district of Chaoyang.
“
I can't come to school today.
My residence is closed due to epidemic prevention measures
, ”announces a teacher on WeChat messaging to the parents of her students.
Telework is recommended while extra-curricular activities, exhibitions, concerts, sports competitions and wedding banquets are suspended.
Because of course, the counter-example for the authorities is what has been happening
in Shanghai for a month
and the Pekingese can thank the Shanghainese for the experience they have brought them.
Omicron has, it seems, changed the situation, because in the event of an epidemic outbreak now, even "category 1" cities can
find themselves under a bell jar overnight
, which caused
a wind of panic in Monday morning.
supermarkets
.
In the main Xinfadi wholesale market, where
a Covid outbreak was discovered in the spring of 2020
, a market gardener
tells the state press
that the price of a basket of eggplants has risen by 100 to 150 yuan (nearly 22 euros) , as customers order a third more than usual in anticipation of a possible lockdown.
"
A few cases of Covid contamination do not scare me, joked a user on the Weibo network yesterday, but if everyone starts bringing bags of rice and flour home, it makes me panic
".
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