Beijing: The fear of Covid’s hard lock triggered a panic purchase in Beijing as a long queue formed on Monday in a large central district for mass testing ordered by Chinese authorities.
China has tried to load the wave of infection in the largest city of Shanghai, which was almost entirely locked for weeks and reported 51 new Covid deaths on Monday.
Shanghai has struggled to provide fresh food to those limited at home, while patients have reported problems accessing non-covid medical care – and increased cases in the capital triggered fear of similar coins.
Downtown Beijing, the biggest Chaoyang, home to around 3.5 million people, ordered mass testing from Monday to residents and those who came there – this area accommodated the company’s headquarters and multinational embassies.
The queue sunbathed around the mall and office complex outside on Monday when people waited to be exchanged with samples by health workers in protective equipment.
“If one case is found, this area can be affected,” Yao Leiming office worker said, 25, when he headed to the testing site in Chaoyang with a group of his colleagues.
The command of the mass testing, and a warning from the “gloomy” situation in the city, triggered a trip at the Beijing supermarket on Sunday when residents rushed to hoard the essence.
People are seen pushing shopping carts stacked with food, while many items are sold out on wholesale shipping applications when inspected by AFP on Sundays – especially for shipping to Chaoyang.
Many studios and capital fitness centers have canceled class or closed.
Beijing also imposed tight control when entering the city, with travelers asked to have a negative covid test from within 48 hours.
China has struggled to defeat its worst outbreak in two years with its zero-covid playbook, which includes tight locking, bulk testing, and restrictions on trips.
Officials said this policy had helped China avoid large-scale public health disasters seen elsewhere in the world during the Covid crisis, but this approach has taken great victims on public business and morals.