BEIJING (AP) – Beijing ordered more coronavirus tests for about 2 million people in the city center, after new cases were reported in the Chinese capital.
The city’s health department said that all residents of Xicheng and Dongcheng districts are required to take the test on Friday and Saturday. The results are usually provided by the smartphone application within hours.
In a neighborhood in Dongcheng, several thousand people lined up in freezing temperatures on a corner and walked down several blocks, waiting to enter a building for testing.
They included a group of street sweepers who stood out in their high-visibility red and green uniforms from others wearing dark winter jackets. Everyone wore a mask.
Mandatory testing has been a key feature of China’s effort to stem a new wave of virus outbreaks, and many stores, office buildings and residential complexes now require proof of a recent negative test performed on a cellphone application to get in.
Beijing registered only 19 new cases last week, but the rigorous screening has prompted orders to test anyone who may have come into contact with someone who carries the virus.
Recent confirmed cases have largely occurred in suburban areas, but some of them traveled to the city center before testing positive for the virus.