Beijing tightens control amid rising Covid cases

Beijing on Friday tightened epidemic prevention and control amid concerns around raging Omicron variant overseas as well as rising cases in China.

Beijing's moves came one day after Xi'an, the capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, known for its Terracotta Warriors, imposed a citywide lockdown following a fresh flare-up that spilled over into six cities including Beijing, Chinese-state media Global Times reported.

Chinese health analysts said the local outbreak in Xi'an, which occurred around 40 days ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, increases the epidemic prevention pressure for China, but with timely and precise measures, experience in quelling local outbreaks and high vaccination rate among the Chinese population and participants of the Games, China will ensure a safe international sports event.

Xu Hejian, a spokesperson from the Beijing government, said at Friday's media briefing that Beijing had revised its COVID-19 prevention and control measures, calling on residents to spend the upcoming holidays - New Year's Day and Spring Festival - in Beijing.

The new measures apply to cases of locally transmitted infections in Beijing, residents in the district where reported cases are not allowed to leave the capital other than for essential reasons, and residents in the city's townships where reported cases are restricted from leaving Beijing, Xu said.