The Beijing authorities are fighting against time to curb a new outbreak

Authorities in the Chinese capital have warned that a new outbreak of coronavirus, linked to a 24-hour bar, is crucial and that the city of 22 million people is fighting a “time war” to manage the most serious outbreak of the disease. from the onset of the pandemic.

The new outbreak of the bar has forced millions of people to undergo mandatory diagnostic tests and thousands more to enter targeted lockdowns just days after leaving the city from a partial lockdown that lasted more than a month to address a wider outbreak of cases from the end of April.

Authorities announced at the weekend a “severe” outbreak of COVID, linked to the Heaven Supermarket Bar, which had just opened after the coronavirus measures were lifted last week.

The eruption of at least 287 new cases has raised new concerns about the future of the world’s second-largest economy.

China has just recovered from a two-month lockdown in Shanghai that has raised concerns about international supply chains.

“We must all participate, fight against time,” said He Lichian, a spokesman for the capital’s municipal authority, during a press conference, referring to efforts to contain the outbreak.

Bars and restaurants across much of Beijing resumed accepting customers on June 6 after more than a month in which the 22-million-strong city imposed restrictions, including telework, and closed malls and department stores. of the public transport system.

The city’s largest district, Chaoyang, where the bar is located, began mass testing for three days among the approximately 3.5 million inhabitants yesterday Monday.

Authorities have so far avoided reinstating the strictest restrictions, but about 10,000 close contacts of the bar’s customers have been identified and the buildings where they live have been locked down.

Police have launched a criminal investigation into the bar owner for suspected involvement in pandemic prevention, Pan Suhong, deputy director of the city’s public security service, told a news conference.

Pan said three other people, two of whom had visited the bar and one who is in close contact with the store’s customers, were at the center of the investigation as they insisted on going out despite being asked to isolate themselves at their home.

The three later confirmed that they were infected, which resulted in dozens of people being quarantined and more than 2,000 being subjected to other restrictive measures against the disease, Pan said.

Earlier in the day, the state-backed Beijing Daily reported that a joint team from a range of local government agencies would work to investigate and manage the bar case.

All bars, nightclubs, karaoke venues, internet cafes and other entertainment venues are being examined, the newspaper wrote.

All underground entertainment venues have been closed and the process of halting the epidemic in the city is being “tightened”, according to the same source.

The newspaper has repeatedly “photographed” a person, named Patient N.1.991, as to blame for the new outbreak.

Beijing authorities say the man did not take a diagnostic test between May 26 and June 8, although he had visited many restaurants, bars and crowded places during that time.

The patient then developed a fever until the afternoon of June 8, two days after visiting the bar.

But despite the fever, he returned to the bar early on June 9, the same day that some other customers tested positive for the virus.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

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