- The outbreak calls for the return of mass tests, targeted blockades
- Cluster caused by “complacency” – state-backed newspaper
- Shanghai exits the weekend’s tests with no new limitations
BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) – Authorities in Beijing, the capital of China, rushed Monday to contain a COVID-19 outbreak related to a stupid 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and large crowds, with millions of people facing mandatory testing and thousands under specific blockades.
The bursting of nearly 200 cases linked to the downtown Heaven supermarket bar, which had just reopened when sidewalks were reduced in Beijing last week, shows how difficult it will be for China to achieve success. with its “zero COVID” policy so much of the rest of the world chooses to learn to live with the virus.
The resurgence of COVID infections is also raising new concerns about the prospects of the world’s second largest economy. China is only being hit hard by a two-month blockade of Shanghai, its most populous city and commercial hub, which has also hit global supply chains.
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Dinner service at Beijing restaurants resumed on June 6 after more than a month in which the city of 22 million people enforced various COVID restrictions. Many malls, gyms and other places were closed, parts of the city’s public transportation system were suspended, and millions of people were urged to work from home.
“Now we have to try every day. It’s a bit complicated, but it’s necessary,” said a 21-year-old resident named Cao, who runs a convenience store in Beijing’s largest district, Chaoyang, where the group was discovered. of bars. “The virus situation has hurt our business a bit, it’s down 20-30%.”
Chaoyang on Monday launched a three-day mass testing campaign among its approximately 3.5 million residents. Nearly 10,000 contacts of the bar’s customers have been identified and its residential buildings are closed and some planned school reopening in the district has been postponed.
According to eyewitnesses from Reuters, on Monday they queued around some test sites for more than 100 meters. Large metal barriers have been installed around various residential complexes, with people in suits of hazardous material spraying disinfectant nearby.
‘EN VA’
Last week, when the dinner sidewalks were raised, Heaven Supermarket Bar, modeled as a large self-service liquor store with chairs, sofas and tables, regained its popularity among young and noisy crowds hungry for socializing and partying during Beijing’s COVID restrictions.
The bar, where guests check the aisles for everything from local liqueurs to Belgian beer, is known among Beijing partygoers for its tables lined with empty bottles and customers falling asleep on sofas after dinner. midnight.
With nearly 200 COVID cases linked to the bar since June 9, authorities described the outbreak as “ferocious” and “explosive”: infected people live or work in 14 of the capital’s 16 districts, according to authorities.
Officials have not commented on the exact cause of the outbreak, nor have they explained why they are not yet restoring the level of braking seen last month.
The group of bars was caused by gaps and complacency in preventing epidemics, the state-backed Beijing Evening News wrote in a comment on Monday.
“At a time when … normalcy is being restored in the city, the collapse of Heaven Supermarket Bar means that the hardships and efforts of countless people have been in vain,” the newspaper wrote.
If the outbreak grows, “the consequences could be serious and would be such that no one would want to see them,” he added.
TRAPPED IN “PARADISE”
Heaven Supermarket Bar and other nearby businesses, including Paradise Massage & Spa, were closed, with police tape and security staff blocking tickets.
A handful of customers and salon staff would be temporarily closed for checks, authorities said.
In all, Beijing reported 51 cases on Sunday, up from 65 the day before, in line with a national downward trend. Read more
Shanghai, which completed mass tests for most of its 25 million residents over the weekend after lifting the blockade and many of its limits earlier this month, reported 37 cases, up from 29.
When Beijing authorities struggled with new COVID cases in April, retail sales in the capital fell 16% year-on-year, while property sales fell 25%. The May data, which will arrive later this month, is also expected to be disastrous.
Before the bar cases, there were high hopes of a rebound in June. Read more
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Report by Martin Quin Pollard, Ryan Woo and the Beijing and Shanghai offices; Written by Marius Zaharia; Edited by Kenneth Maxwell
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