Beijing authorities are struggling to contain a Covid-19 outbreak related to a 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and large crowds, with millions facing mandatory testing and thousands under specific blockades.
The explosion of nearly 200 cases linked to the Heaven Supermarket bar, which had just reopened as the sidewalks in the Chinese capital were reduced 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 is trying to live with the virus.
The resurgence of infections is also raising new concerns about the prospects of the world’s second largest economy. China is only shaking up the economic impact of a two-month blockade of Shanghai that also caused disruptions to global supply chains.
Johns Hopkins Covid Case Numbers China
Dinner service at Beijing restaurants resumed on June 6 after more than a month in which the city of 22 million people enforced various coronavirus restrictions. Many shopping malls, gyms and other premises were closed, parts of the 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 little annoying, but it’s necessary,” said a 21-year-old resident named Cao, who runs a convenience store in Chaoyang, the central district where the bar group was discovered. “The virus situation has hurt our business a bit; it has dropped by 20-30%.”
On Monday, authorities launched a three-day mass testing campaign of Chaoyang’s 5 million residents. Some 10,000 close contacts of the bar’s customers have been identified and their residential buildings are closed. The reopening of some schools in the district, the largest and most populous in Beijing, has been postponed.
On Monday, according to Reuters, there were queues around some test sites. Large metal barriers had been installed around several residential complexes, with people in suits of hazardous material spraying disinfectant nearby.
Last week, when the dinner sidewalks were raised, the Heaven Supermarket Bar, modeled as a large self-service liquor store with chairs, sofas and tables, regained its popularity among a noisy and noisy crowd. lifting Covid restrictions.
The bar has a stupid reputation and is known among Beijing partygoers for its tables lined with empty bottles and guests falling asleep on sofas after midnight.
Nearly 200 cases of Covid have been linked to the bar since June 9, in an outbreak described by authorities as “ferocious” and “explosive”. People infected with the outbreak 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.
“At a time when. outbreak grows, “the consequences could be serious, and it would be such that no one would want to see it.”
The bar and other nearby businesses were closed, with police and security guards blocking the entrances.
According to authorities, a handful of customers and staff at the nearby Paradise Massage & Spa were temporarily closed for checks.
In all, Beijing reported 51 cases on Sunday. This followed 65 the day before and was in line with a national trend of falling cases.
Shanghai, which completed mass tests for most of its 25 million residents over the weekend after lifting the blockade and many of its other restrictions earlier this month, reported 37 cases on Sunday, up from 29.
When Beijing authorities tackled new Covid cases in April, retail sales in the capital fell 16% year-on-year, while property sales fell 25%. May data, which is due later this month, is also expected to be disastrous.
Before the bar cases, there were high hopes of a rebound in June.