Beijing warns of a massive outbreak of corona, and Shanghai begins mass examinations

A Chinese government spokesman said Saturday that the capital, Beijing, is facing a "massive" outbreak of Covid-19 disease linked to a bar, as the country's commercial hub Shanghai began mass screenings to contain a jump in cases linked to a hair salon.

The warning came on the heels of a new tightening of anti-Covid restrictions in Beijing since Thursday, with at least two districts, including the most populous Chaoyang District, closing some entertainment venues after the disease spread in a crowded neighborhood known for its nightlife, shopping and embassy streets.

While China's infection rate is low by global standards, President Xi Jinping has stepped up measures aimed at completely eradicating the virus, which authorities say are necessary to protect the elderly and the health system, even as other countries try to live with the virus.

China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has recorded only 5,226 deaths from COVID-19.

Beijing authorities said on Saturday that all of the 61 new infections detected in the city on Friday had either visited or had connections to the Heaven supermarket bar.

"The recent outbreak... is highly explosive in nature and large-scale," Beijing municipal government spokesman Xu Hejian told a news briefing.

And a health official said today, Saturday, that the capital, Beijing, had recorded 46 new infections with the Corona virus as of 3 pm local time.

The official, Liu Xiaofeng, added that all the cases were discovered among individuals who were already under isolation or under observation.

The city did not announce new restrictions, but the Beijing Sports Administration later said that all youth sports activities will be canceled from Sunday.

So far, a total of 115 cases and 6,158 close contacts linked to the pub have been reported, bringing the city of 22 million people back into a state of concern.

Less than two weeks ago, the capital eased restrictions imposed to combat a major outbreak that began in April.

In Shanghai, city officials announced three new confirmed asymptomatic cases and one asymptomatic case outside quarantine areas Saturday, as all 25 million city residents began a new round of COVID-19 testing.

Authorities ordered a PCR test for all residents in 15 of Shanghai's 16 districts over the weekend.

Five districts prevent residents from leaving their homes during the testing period.

A city official said at a press conference today that Shanghai residents must take at least one test per week until July 31.

The new tests come just 10 days after the city lifted a two-month lockdown aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19, sparking fears among many residents who have suffered loss of income and restricted freedom.

Shanghai authorities said they have reprimanded and fired several district-level officials over loopholes in a hotel that was used to isolate arrivals from abroad, which has been identified as one of the sources of the city's omicron outbreak.

It added that it had warned some executives and dismissed others in a state-owned company that owns beauty centers, as three cases were discovered among workers during the past few days.

The authorities said that staff of these centers did not follow the instructions to conduct a daily PCR test.

Today, Shanghai announced the registration of seven new confirmed cases on Friday, an increase of one case from the previous day, including six cases outside the quarantine areas.

The city also recorded nine new asymptomatic local cases, up from six the day before.

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