China Limits Public Gatherings, Travel Amidst New COVID Surge

BEIJING: Residents are being told to postpone all public events to later dates as China goes through another surge of COVID-19 cases, resulting in constrictions in public gatherings just months before the Winter Olympics.

China is the world’s most populous country and has decreased infection numbers to a fraction of the initial outbreak last year through zero-tolerance policies, including border control, targeted lockdowns and long quarantine phases.

But now, China is facing outbursts in a dozen regions thanks to tourism, prompting officials to direct millions to stay home, limit inter-provincial travel and increase testing. Authorities refuse to take any risks, with thousands in Beijing under strict lockdown after a handful of cases were detected.

Residents should “postpone weddings, decrease funerals duration, not organize banquets, and lessen unnecessary gatherings”, said Pang Xinghuo, the Deputy Chief of the Beijing Disease Control Centre, said during a press conference.

‘Tourist spots will further decrease attendance, and the recently inaugurated Universal Studios resort will be put into a “state of emergency epidemic prevention, added Xu Hejian, the Deputy Publicity Chief

Many provinces require COVID-19 documentation for entrance, while others said they wanted tests for people to sit for their academic exams. About 6 million people are under lockdown across China.