Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, May 7

Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.

Chaoyang District Enacts Ban on Non-Essential Services: The district government said all “services not related to people’s livelihoods or security” will be closed today in Chaoyang District, according to Xinhua News. These include KTV, internet cafes, massage parlors, hairdressers, movie theatres, art galleries, museums and more.

All interior renovations and home moving services will also be suspended, the report says. As of press time, it looks as if all supermarkets, pharmacies, and restaurants (delivery only) will remain open. This, for the time being at least, contradicts previous rumors of suspension of waimai in Chaoyang.

Chaoyang Brings In More Cars to Guarantee Hospital Transport: 200 car-hailing vehicles were put into service in Chaoyang District on Apr 5, in order to meet emergency demand from precautionary zones, according to China Daily.

The measures come in response to an uptick in hospital services, over 5500 to be exact, since Apr 22, senior district officials are noted as saying. The added cars are meant to ensure that virus control and prevention measures don't “prevent people from getting care…” the official was quoted as saying.

City Sees Uptick in Bike Rides During Morning Rush Hour: Due to the closure of subway stations and rerouting of bus lines following the May holiday, areas in Chaoyang, notably Guangqumen, Shuangjing and Baiziwan saw an uptick in shared bike rides, according to Beijing News. This follows a strengthening of vehicle scheduling in transit outage areas by bike sharing enterprises which took place on the night of May 4. Reporters also noticed a decrease in car traffic, with Beijing’s road traffic index showing unimpeded levels with no signs of traffic jams or congestion.

May Day Holiday Sees Drop in Tourism, Rise in Shopping Numbers: In a not so shocking twist for the recent holiday, China's Culture and Tourism Ministry reported that only 160 million people traveled over the five-day holiday. This has resulted in a year-on-year decrease of 30.2 percent. Meanwhile, numbers did remain steady in the realm of commerce, with Beijing's commerce bureau noting sales of RMB 4 billion, with, interestingly enough e-commerce platforms noting business numbers reaching 100 percent.

READ: Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Apr 30

Images: Irene Li, Beijing News, 颐和园 (via Weibo)