Millions of Beijingers are working from home on Monday following a new round of anti-Covid measures, giving the Chinese capital of 22 million people the appearance of a ghost town. China has been facing its worst epidemic wave for two months since the initial outbreak in early 2020.
Even if the contamination figures remain minimal on a global scale, the authorities strictly apply their zero Covid policy and confine entire cities as soon as a few cases appear. After Shanghai, the most populous city in the country confined since the beginning of April, Beijing has been subject to travel restrictions for a week and many public places (restaurants, cafes, sports halls, gymnasiums, etc.) are closed.
On Monday, authorities strictly limited access to non-essential services in the capital’s busiest and most populated district of Chaoyang, where some businesses must limit their normal workforce to 5%. As a result, the bustling commercial district of Sanlitun, in eastern Beijing, was deserted on Monday morning. The usually very busy Apple store was ordered to close within minutes of opening.
Containment marked by supply problems
Beijing announced Monday 49 new cases of contamination for the last 24 hours. In addition, in Shanghai, the figure of new contaminations fell to less than 4,000 on Monday, after having exceeded 25,000 at the end of April. The current outbreak has also killed more than 500 people in Shanghai, according to an official report. The total for China barely exceeds 5,000 officially since the start of the pandemic. Some residents let their exasperation show after 40 days of confinement, sometimes marked by supply problems.
In the Zhuanqiao district, residents clashed over the weekend with officials dressed in full bodysuits, according to video posted on social media. “Police acted as soon as possible to persuade onlookers to disperse and restore calm,” local authorities said.
“According to an investigation carried out at the scene, the troublemakers had enough food at home,” said the same sources.