COVID-19 Catch-Up: Medium-Risk Residents Barred From Leaving Beijing, Waimai Guy Tests Positive

Despite one prolific expert’s prediction that COVID-19 infections in Beijing would "fall off a cliff" by the end of this week, it would appear that with an additional 15 cases confirmed yesterday – just short of the average 19 cases per day seen over the past 13 days – we are not out of the woods just yet.

Beijing waimai guy tests positive

In one such case, a waimai delivery driver tested positive on Jun 22, and was promptly pulled from his beat in south and southeast Chaoyang District, just south of the Temple of Heaven between Nanyuan Lu on the west and Zhouzhuangcun on the east. The 47-year-old delivered an average of 50 orders per day for the Eleme app and had worked until 10pm the previous night. The news comes just after the industry boasted no new cases in the first round of citywide tests on drivers. 

Consequently, Beijing has continued to ramp up containment efforts. Residents should be aware of the following:

Medium-risk area residents are not permitted to leave Beijing, visit tourist attractions

Previously, the municipal government had advised that no one should leave Beijing unless "necessary," but only residents of high-risk areas were strictly banned from leaving Beijing. That has now changed with the announcement that residents of medium-risk areas, of which there are now 38 in the city (see an updated list here), are also banned from leaving the city, according to China News Service.

Moreover, residents of both high- and medium-risk areas are not permitted to visit tourist attractions or stay at hotels for at least the next 14 days, Beijing Daily reports. Most of the city’s tourist attractions will also require booking in advance.

New high-risk area in Haidian

As of yesterday, Jun 23, Haidian’s Yongding Lu in south Haidian district is now a high-risk area. That brings the total number of high-risk areas in Beijing to five, namely: Yongding Lu (Haidian), Huaxiang area (Fengtai), Xihongmen area (Daxing), Huangcun area (Daxing), and Xincun Jiedao (Fengtai).

No gathering during Dragon Boat Festival

Finally, as anticipated, municipal officials have reiterated that gathering will be strictly prohibited during Dragon Boat Festival. As a result, nearly all offline events have been canceled during the festival period, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

If anything, it should make for an especially restful holiday. Stay safe, Beijing!

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Image: yicaiglobal.com, Baidu Maps