Coronavirus: China adds 138 new cases on Friday, as Beijing and Shanghai conduct more mass testing

China’s two largest cities are tightening Covid-19 restrictions and conducting mass testing over the weekend as Beijing and Shanghai led the country in confirmed new cases.

Beijing reported 46 new cases as of Saturday afternoon, taking the capital’s total infections to 1,946 since the latest outbreak started in late April. Out of the cases, more than half were found in downtown Chaoyang district.

Shanghai, China’s financial hub of 25 million residents, added four community infections on Saturday, two fewer than a day earlier. That brought total cases outside quarantined areas to 36 since lifting its citywide lockdown on June 1.

All of Beijing’s new cases were linked to the local bar Heaven Supermarket, located in Sanlitun, an area of Chaoyang district known for its nightlife, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. The bar was temporarily closed, with mass polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing being conducted in Sanlitun, the city’s health official said on Thursday.

Shanghai is conducting mass nucleic acid testing for residents in at least 13 of the city’s 16 districts over the weekend, in an effort to curb a resurgence of Covid-19 since facing the worst outbreak in the country three months ago. Residents in most districts will be confined to their homes until the tests in their neighbourhoods are completed, according to official notices.

The surge in cases comes just days after restrictions started to ease in China’s two largest local economies, as outbreaks had been largely controlled through weeks of lockdowns and mass testing.