To Curb The Spread Of COVID-19 Cases Before The Winter Olympics, Beijing Tightens Restrictions On Population Movement

Illustration of COVID-19 in Beijing, China. (Wikimedia Commons/N509FZ)

JAKARTA - Beijing tightened restrictions on the movement of residents in various areas of the city, despite reporting fewer cases of COVID-19 infection on Thursday, in a bid to lower the risk of the virus less than 10 days before hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Beijing's Fengtai District said late Wednesday that residents in more areas should not leave their residential complexes for unnecessary reasons and must undergo daily COVID-19 tests.

The district, which has reported more local virus cases than any other district in Beijing's current outbreak, has locked down several housing complexes, impacting tens of thousands of people.

While Beijing has not locked down any districts, some districts are now imposing mobility restrictions in certain areas.

Meanwhile, Beijing reported five locally transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Wednesday, down from 14 the previous day, according to data from the National Health Commission (NHC) on Thursday, citing Reuters on January 27.

Although the caseload is low compared to the outbreak globally, Beijing is not trying hard to adhere to national guidelines to contain the virus outbreak as soon as possible.

This strategy takes on extra urgency, as China has promised to safely host the Winter Olympics and prevent a major outbreak, during the Lunar New Year travel season.

Twenty-three new cases of COVID-19 were detected among personnel associated with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on January 26, including eight found among those already within the organizers' closed circle, organizers said.

Meanwhile, the financial hub east of Shanghai discovered an Omicron variant in locally transmitted cases detected on Monday, state television said on Thursday.

At least eight provinces, territories and municipalities in China have found locally transmitted infections of the Omicron variant, while the total number of cases remains unclear.

For information, China nationwide reported a total of 25 domestically spread cases with confirmed symptoms for January 26. There were no new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 4,636.

As of January 26, mainland China had reported 105,811 cases with confirmed symptoms, including local ones and among international travelers.