BEIJING (AP) – Beijing has ordered several coronavirus tests for about 2 million people in its central area after new cases were reported in China’s capital.
The city’s health department said all residents of Xicheng and Dongcheng districts are required to have tests on Friday and Saturday. The results are usually delivered by the smartphone in a few hours.
In a district of Dongcheng, several thousand people lined up at freezing temperatures around a corner and lowered several blocks, waiting to enter a building for testing.
These included a group of street sweepers who stood out in their high-visibility red and green uniforms from others wearing dark winter jackets. Everyone was wearing a mask.
Mandatory testing has been a key feature of China’s pressure to contain a new wave of outbreaks of the virus, and many shops, office buildings and residential complexes now require proof of a recent negative test on a mobile app to enter.
Beijing has registered only 19 new cases in the last week, but rigorous monitoring has led to testing orders for anyone who may have come in contact with someone carrying the virus.
Recent confirmed cases have largely occurred in suburban areas, but some of them have traveled to the city center before testing positive for the virus.