BEIJING (AP) – Beijing has ordered more coronavirus tests for about 2 million people in the inner city after new cases were reported in the Chinese capital.
The city’s health department said all residents of Xicheng and Dongcheng districts should undergo tests on Friday and Saturday. Results are usually delivered within a few hours via the smartphone app.
In a neighborhood in Dongcheng, several thousand people stood in freezing temperatures around a corner and several blocks away, waiting to enter a building for testing.
They included a group of street sweepers who stood out in their highly visible red and green uniforms from others wearing dark winter coats. Everyone wore a mask.
Mandatory testing was a key feature of China’s effort to stem a new wave of virus outbreaks, and many shops, office buildings and residential complexes now require evidence of a recent negative test conducted on a cell phone app to gain access.
Beijing has registered only 19 new cases in the past week, but rigorous tracing has led to orders to test all those who may have come into contact with someone carrying the virus.
Recent confirmed cases have largely occurred in suburban areas, but some had traveled to the city before testing positive for the virus.