Beijing Covid-19 spike sparks panic buying as mass tests begin in worst-hit district
- Chaoyang district of Beijing will undergo three rounds of mass screening for Covid-19 this week
- Residents rush to stock up over fears of shortages as recently seen in locked down Shanghai
Residents of Beijing’s biggest district have resorted to panic buying as orders to undergo three rounds of mass Covid-19 tests spark fears of a wider lockdown.
Of 70 local cases recorded in Beijing since Friday, more than half were from Chaoyang, an affluent district home to some 3.5 million people, including several embassies and multinational companies.
Residents rushed to stock up on daily necessities as the first of the three testing rounds kicked off on Monday, even though many remain optimistic about the city’s capacity to bring the pandemic under control.
01:35
Police in Shanghai scuffle with residents over Covid-19 quarantine measures
Joseph Li, a 25-year-old lawyer who lives and works in Chaoyang, said he felt like he was “on the edge of a [Covid-19] whirlpool”, but was still “relatively optimistic” about the situation and not worried about running out of food.