Beijing enters critical COVID period

Facing an increasing number of confirmed local infections with different independent transmission chains in several of its districts, Beijing has entered a critical period for epidemic prevention and control, a senior official said on Friday at a news conference.

Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the city reported seven new local infections from Thursday to 4 pm on Friday involving Haidian, Chaoyang and Daxing districts.

The seven cases include five confirmed COVID-19 patients and two asymptomatic carriers. All the patients are being treated at designated hospitals, and control measures have been imposed in all the areas involved.

Zhou Chong, deputy head of the Daxing district government, said the two new cases in Daxing include one patient who is a close contact of a previously confirmed case in Beijing; the other is a returnee from another province to the city who arrived on March 5.

The situation in Chaoyang is similar: Cases include close contacts and people who came from other places.

The authorities reminded the public to reduce movement in or out of the city and to comply strictly with prevention and control measures.