Signs of COVID-19 Resurgence in China... 107 Confirmed Cases Including Beijing

Beijing Strengthens Nucleic Acid Testing for Incoming Travelers... Emergency COVID-19 Measures for Spring Festival

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim On-yu] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues in major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, red flags have been raised for epidemic prevention during the Spring Festival, China's largest holiday.

According to the National Health Commission of China (NHC) on the 23rd, a total of 107 new COVID-19 cases were reported in China the previous day, of which 90 were confirmed within mainland China. By region, Heilongjiang Province reported the highest number with 56 confirmed cases, followed by Hebei with 15, Jilin with 13, Beijing with 3, and Shanghai with 3.

In particular, Shanghai, which reported community infections for the first time in two months on the 21st, recorded 3 new cases again the previous day. Shanghai authorities are conducting nucleic acid testing centered on areas where confirmed cases have been identified, while also carrying out epidemiological investigations on close contacts.

Beijing is also experiencing cluster infections, following the Shunyi District outbreak with a new cluster emerging in Daxing District. The Wangyi Building in Haidian was confirmed to have been visited by one confirmed case from Daxing District, leading to a full lockdown of the building since the previous day. Beijing authorities, in response to the spread of the Daxing cluster, have decided to conduct nucleic acid testing on all individuals who have entered Beijing since December 10 of last year.

As confirmed cases increase in major Chinese cities ahead of the Spring Festival, Chinese epidemic prevention authorities have gradually strengthened their response measures. Beijing authorities noted that the existing cluster in Shunyi District and the recent infections in Daxing District are unrelated, making epidemic prevention efforts more complex. Some speculate that if the Daxing cluster continues to spread, there may be a possibility of conducting nucleic acid testing for all Beijing residents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.