China to Enforce 'Lockdown' in Beijing from 17th for Winter Olympics

Residents of 7 Provinces and 51 Counties Barred from Entering Beijing... Restrictions on Parcels and Deliveries
Beijing Flight Operations Reduced by 30% to Protect Beijing from COVID-19

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Ahead of the opening of the '2020 Beijing Winter Olympics (February 4-20, 2022)', COVID-19 prevention measures in China's capital Beijing have been strengthened to lockdown levels.

According to Chinese media including Xinhua News Agency on the 17th, Beijing city authorities announced that from this day forward, all people entering Beijing from other regions must submit a negative nucleic acid test (PCR) certificate conducted within 48 hours prior to arrival.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, entry into Beijing is only allowed if the Chinese domestic health code program 'Beijing Jiankangbao (Health Kit)' is confirmed to be normal (green).

Commuters traveling to and from Beijing from nearby areas must also carry a negative nucleic acid test certificate within 48 hours, and thereafter must have a certificate issued within 14 days.

Workers at imported frozen warehouses and agricultural product direct sales markets within Beijing must have a negative nucleic acid test certificate within 72 hours to be allowed to work. The number of workers who must undergo nucleic acid testing every three days reaches approximately 34,000.

Parcels and deliveries sent to Beijing from overseas and other regions are also restricted. Beijing city authorities urged people not to purchase goods from overseas and high-risk areas, citing cases where the COVID-19 virus was detected on the external packaging of deliveries.

Residents of 51 counties in 7 provinces where COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred, including Jilin Province, Heilongjiang Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are currently prohibited from entering Beijing.

Flights are also restricted. The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced that flights to Beijing from medium- and high-risk areas have been canceled for the time being. Additionally, flights to Beijing from other regions will be reduced by 30% compared to usual operations.

Beijing city authorities stated that COVID-19 prevention and quarantine measures, including nucleic acid test verification, will be strengthened at 33 locations such as airports, train stations, bus terminals, and toll gates.

Meanwhile, the Beijing Olympic Committee reported that snow removal work has begun in Yanqing, where the ski competitions will be held, and that artificial snow production will continue until mid-January.

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