Commuter chaos as Beijing tightens Covid-19 controls

Chinese capital ramps up pandemic measures ahead of next month’s party congress, leading to queues and missed trains at subway stations

City in neighbouring Hebei province announces four-day lockdown and mass screening of residents

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Commuters use their phones to scan health codes before boarding a bus in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 5:00pm, 13 Sep 2022Updated: 5:11pm, 13 Sep 2022

Beijing has ramped up pandemic prevention measures as the Chinese capital city battles a new wave of Covid-19 in schools ahead of a twice-a-decade political meeting next month.

The Beijing government announced on Monday that employees and students must show a negative Covid-19 test taken within the previous 48 hours to return to work and school on Tuesday after the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

That led to chaos on Tuesday morning when commuters found subway gates would not open because they could not verify their Covid-19 tests. During morning rush hour, subway authorities announced that riders’ information would be checked manually.

On social media, commuters complained about having to queue and missing their trains.

Beijing has been on alert since last week, when a new outbreak hit several university campuses. Authorities locked down Communication University of China in the capital’s Chaoyang district, put close contacts of confirmed cases under Covid-19 management and demanded mass testing to prevent the cluster from spreading.

The Communist Party will hold its 20th national congress on October 16 in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term and lay out policies for China’s development over the next five years.

On Tuesday, Beijing reported 10 local confirmed cases and six asymptomatic infections, while China logged 188 local cases and 727 asymptomatic ones.

Cities surrounding the capital have also been on alert. Authorities in Sanhe in Hebei province announced a four-day lockdown from Tuesday morning and four rounds of mass testing after one confirmed infection.

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