Advertisement
Beijing district on coronavirus testing alert in countdown to the Winter Olympics
- Fengtai in the Chinese capital’s southwest launches plan to collect samples from 2 million people in one day
- Cases of the Delta variant in Shandong and Shanxi traced to cold chain facility in the city
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
4
With less than a fortnight to go until the Beijing Winter Olympics, a district in the Chinese capital launched mass coronavirus testing on Sunday as cases spread to two nearby provinces.
Authorities in Fengtai district aimed to collect samples from its 2 million residents in one day, fearing the area in the city’s southwest could become a centre of community spread.
The district accounted for six of the nine cases reported in Beijing on Sunday and also reported four asymptomatic infections.
Advertisement
The confirmed cases included two workers at a cold storage facility in the district.
The nearby provinces of Shandong and Shanxi reported four cases in total, all of which were traced back to the cold storage plant. These include two cargo drivers who tested positive for the Delta variant in the Shandong capital of Jinan.
02:19
Tickets to Beijing Winter Olympics will not be sold to public amid Omicron fears
Tickets to Beijing Winter Olympics will not be sold to public amid Omicron fears
Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, said Beijing had recorded 43 local Covid-19 infections since January 15 – six of which were caused by the Omicron variant and 37 involving Delta.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x