China: Beijing begins to close its schools in the face of a rise in Covid-19

A school closed in Beijing due to a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic, this Thursday, April 28, 2022. © CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/REUTERS

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2 mins

After Shanghai, it is Beijing, the Chinese capital, which is on high alert in the face of the Omicron wave.

Since the start of the week, the 22 million Beijingers have had to undergo massive Covid screening tests.

48 cases of contamination were reported on Wednesday.

That was enough to close most schools on Thursday morning.

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With our correspondent in Beijing,

School is over, at least face-to-face, as this audio sent to WeChat messaging shortly after 7 a.m. explains: “

”.

Online courses in primary schools in the districts of

, that's a lot of people in a capital that has nearly a third of the French population.

If we take the map, we now have the center and the east of Beijing, the northwest also which have areas classified at risk, with confined residences.

And as often in this “

” strategy of racing with the virus, when it closes, the inhabitants are notified at the last moment.

Schools closed in Beijing on Thursday.

Audio announcement to parents of students on WeChat messaging received at 7:06 a.m. this morning: “As of today, classes will be held online.”

20 minutes later, the schedule falls: at 3 p.m. “physical exercise in sunshine at home”, sport what 👇 pic.twitter.com/ozMIdsRPdI

— Stephane Lagarde (@StephaneLagarde) April 28, 2022

The Pekingese have prepared

Except that this time, the Pekingese benefit from the experience of the Shanghainese.

Fridges and cupboards are full, in case of city lockdown.

A Shanghai-style scenario that the authorities seem to want to avoid for the time being.

Kindergartens are also closed this Thursday, but some classes in some schools will remain open face-to-face, especially for those preparing for the

, the Chinese baccalaureate.

The city is therefore only partially asleep.

The streets have been quieter since Monday, with many Beijingers working from home, only going out to shop or take Covid-19 screening tests.

And Friday night is the start of the five-day Labor Day holiday.

Holidays there again motionless, as often for two years, knowing that nearly 70 Chinese megalopolises are today confined or semi-confined.

With the health restrictions, the civil aviation administration predicts that the number of passengers, for these May 1 holidays, would drop by 77% compared to 2021.

► To read also: Report - Beijing massively tests its population against the spread of the Omicron variant

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