Beijing — Two of China’s biggest cities, capital Beijing and Shanghai, got to enjoy about one month of reprieve from draconian COVID-19 restrictions, including full and partial lockdowns, after officials declared victory over the virus. But as of Thursday, both megacities were racing once again to contain outbreaks fueled by highly transmissible Omicron subvariants of the virus.
The capital reported a cluster of BA.5.2 subvariant cases, which officials said started among staff at a boutique hotel near Beijing’s world-famous Great Wall area. Only about a dozen infections were confirmed by Thursday, but the local government was taking no chances.
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Beijing has required all residents entering large public places, including museums, theaters, and gyms to show proof of vaccination, according to an official with the Municipal Health Commission. Senior citizens also now must show proof of vaccination to enter community facilities.
The new vaccine mandate comes on top of existing policies that require everyone to show a negative COVID test result from within the past 72 hours to enter any public venue. That restriction effectively forces the entire local population of the capital to get rolling PCR tests every three days.
Keeping a lid on the highly contagious subvariant is a priority for China’s ruling Communist Party in part because it wants to avoid any disruption to the once-in-a-decade power transition, which is set to take place in Beijing this fall, though an exact date has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, in the financial capital of Shanghai, 32 positive cases have been recorded, linked to a karaoke bar in the city’s Putuo district. In response, city officials shut down all karaoke bars in Shanghai — and there are a lot — from Wednesday.
Shanghai has also intensified its mass-testing regime. Residents in 12 of the city’s 16 districts were told to get two PCR tests over a three-day period, ending Thursday.
