Beijing Requires PCR Negative Certificate Within 48 Hours for Entry to Public Places

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The Chinese capital, Beijing, has strengthened its quarantine policies amid a surge in COVID-19 infections. From now on, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is mandatory to enter public places in Beijing.

On the 22nd, Beijing's quarantine authorities held a briefing and announced that starting from the 24th, anyone entering public institutions, state-owned enterprises, regular companies, supermarkets, shops, and restaurants must carry a negative PCR test certificate issued within 48 hours. The same document is required for using public transportation such as buses and subways. People commuting from nearby cities to Beijing are also subject to the same regulations.

Currently, Beijing's quarantine standard requires carrying a negative PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours. The PCR test, which was done once every three days, must now be taken every two days. Beijing has recently tightened quarantine policies by limiting the number of employees going to work and switching elementary, middle, and high school classes to online. On the 19th, dining inside restaurants was banned.

Xu Hejian, spokesperson for Beijing, explained, "The number of new infections in Beijing continues to rise," and added, "We will take measures to ensure citizens can conveniently receive PCR tests nearby."

According to the Chinese National Health Commission, the number of new COVID-19 infections in Beijing was 1,438 the previous day. The number of new infections in Beijing, which had been in double digits, rose to triple digits on the 10th, surged to 500 on the 18th, and reached 962 on the 20th.

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