Ahead Of The Plenary Session Of The Chinese Communist Party, Beijing Experiences A Spike In COVID-19 Cases

Ilustrasi COVID-19 di China. (Wikimedia Commons/zhizhou deng)

JAKARTA - New cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 in China surged to a nearly three-month high, with tougher restrictions expected to contain the spread of the capital Beijing, ahead of a meeting of China's elite Communist Party next week.

The National Health Commission confirmed on Wednesday there were 93 new localized cases of symptoms for November 2, up from 54 the previous day and the highest daily number since August 9 at the height of China's last major outbreak.

Meanwhile, Beijing reported nine new local infections, the biggest one-day increase in the capital this year.

New daily cases in Beijing since late October have remained fewer than outside China, the country's zero-tolerance policy means the imposition of tough measures to contain the spread of the virus at all costs.

Temperature checks have been installed at the entrances of shopping malls, supermarkets, hotels, cinemas, and subway stations, while a number of personnel on the ground check the health codes of visiting individuals on their mobile phones.

Beijing authorities have also repeatedly told residents to refrain from traveling outside the city, delaying weddings, simplifying funeral arrangements, and reducing all non-essential gatherings.

Of flights scheduled for Wednesday at Beijing Daxing Airport, 60.4 percent had been canceled in the morning, while 49.8 percent of flights at Beijing Capital International Airport had been canceled.

Beijing's increase in infections comes as more than 300 members of the Communist Party's Central Committee prepare to gather for a large closed-door gathering on November 8-11.

This will be the so-called sixth plenary in the committee's five-year term, before the party's next major congress to be held in 2022.

At next week's plenary session, President Xi Jinping is expected to push through a resolution that will strengthen his authority and legacy, as well as strengthen his image for a third term next year.

Outside of Beijing, new local infections of COVID-19 were reported in the north, northeast, and northwest in provinces and territories, including Heilongjiang, Hebei, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Qinghai.

In addition, new cases of COVID-19 infection were also found in southwest China, in the municipality of Chongqing as well as the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. Meanwhile, Jiangxi Province in the south reported two new cases.

Due to the situation, Air China is offering free cancellations for flights to and from Beijing until December 1.

Other carriers, including China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, are offering free cancellations for flights to and from several COVID-hit cities including Chongqing and Chengdu.

To note, including cases imported from abroad, China reported 109 new confirmed infections on November 2 compared with 71 the day before. In total as of yesterday, mainland China recorded 97.423 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection.