China’s capital is deploying an increasingly hardcore playbook to contain its nascent COVID-19 outbreak, from repeat testing of most residents to barring access to public places without a negative result, as it seeks to avoid the chaos seen in Shanghai.
Beijing halted dining-in at restaurants for the duration of the May Day holiday, which runs through Wednesday, made entry into places such as parks and monuments dependent on a negative COVID-19 test and shuttered gyms.
Authorities have also locked down apartment blocks — forcing some residents to stay in their units, not allowed out for groceries or exercise — and ordered another three rounds of mass testing to rein in an outbreak that added 62 new cases Monday, according to the state-run CCTV, up from 41 on Sunday. In Shanghai, new cases fell to 5,669 from 7,333.