Millions of Beijingers are working from home on Monday following a new round of anti-Covid measures, giving the Chinese capital of 22 million inhabitants the appearance of a ghost town.
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.
deserted neighborhoods
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. “I don’t feel comfortable with so few people around me,” said a cleaner named Wang, waiting to enter the restaurant that employs her.
Nearly 50 new cases
Beijing announced Monday 49 new cases of contamination for the last 24 hours. Elsewhere in Shanghai, the number 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.