JAKARTA - The authorities of Beijing, China, announced early victory in its latest battle against COVID-19 Thursday, after testing millions and quarantining thousands in the past week, to stem a protracted outbreak by a sudden wave of cases linked to a bar.
The furore at Heaven Supermarket Bar, known for its cheap booze and rowdy nights, comes just days after the Chinese capital began lifting widespread restrictions.
Previously, restrictions had been in place for about a month in Beijing to contain the wider outbreak that began in late April.
The jump since June 9 is modest by global standards, with a total of 351 cases found so far, but reflects how challenging it is, with the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, for China to make a success of its stamping strategy, removing each cluster of cases as soon as it materializes. .
"After eight days of hard fighting and the concerted efforts of the Beijing people in fighting, the swift and decisive action has shown its effect," said Beijing municipal government spokesman Xu Hejian.
"The outbreak of the Heaven Supermarket bar has subsided, but the possibility of hidden infection in the community still exists," Xu continued at a press briefing.
The Beijing authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the individuals who came out during their isolation period in their homes and later tested positive.
They have suspended businesses that fail to properly implement COVID prevention rules, and pledged to tighten checks on businesses that have been ordered to check their clients and customers' temperatures, as well as digital health credentials.
Beijing's return to a more regular regime of COVID prevention, routine testing by individuals and a targeted lockdown of affected buildings rather than days of mass testing and district-wide restrictions on movement, should calm fears of more severe disruption, as seen during the lockdown. Shanghai.
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