: China Tests 2 Million in Beijing and Lifts COVID-19 Lockdown in Xi’an #WorldNEWS (BEIJING, China) — A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Beijing has prompted authorities to test millions and impose

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China Tests 2 Million in Beijing and Lifts COVID-19 Lockdown in Xi’an #WorldNEWS
(BEIJING, China) — A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Beijing has prompted authorities to test millions and impose new measures two weeks ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics, even as the city of Xian in north-central China lifted on Monday a monthlong lockdown that had isolated its 13 million residents.
Officials in Beijing said they would conduct a second round of mass testing of the Fengtai districts 2 million residents, where the majority of the capitals 40 coronavirus cases since Jan. 15 have been found. That came a day after authorities announced that anyone who buys or who has bought fever, cough or certain other medicines in the past two weeks would be required to take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours.
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The severe measures, despite a relatively low number of cases, illustrate the acute concern of government officials in the run-up to the Olympics, which open in Beijing on Feb. 4.
“The current epidemic prevention situation is still grim and complicated and all departments across the city must act proactively and swiftly,” Beijing city spokesperson Xu Hejian said.
“The overall situation is controllable,” he added.
The ruling Communist Partys “zero tolerance” COVID-19 policy has brought with it drastic efforts to stamp out any signs of new outbreaks — including last months lockdowns of Xian and two other cities, and the partial suspension of train and plane routes to Beijing to isolate it from outbreak areas.
Overall, the number of reported new cases has been falling in China from more than 100 a day at the peak of the Xian outbreak to 18 on Sunday, six of which were in Beijing. Despite the drop, pandemic controls remain stepped-up ahead of the Games, where all participants will be tested every day and be completely isolated from the general public.
Visiting Olympic athletes are required to be vaccinated or undergo a quarantine after arriving in China.
Ben Cowling, a public health expert at Hong Kong University, said that COVID-19 infections still could leak out of the Olympic bubble.
“I would estimate there is a good chance of at least one lockdown being implemented in Beijing in the coming month, he said.
On top of the first round of mass testing in the capitals Fengtai area, targeted testing was conducted Sunday at residential communities in six other districts, the Beijing Daily reported. It wasnt fully clear who was being tested. The newspaper said that in one community, an official said that if a resident had been to a high-risk area in Fengtai or Fangshan, another affected district, occupants of the entire building would have to be tested twice.

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