Beijing police on Thursday initiated a yellow security alert for large and medium-sized shopping malls and supermarkets during the Christmas season.
As the holiday season approaches, the number of people visiting shopping, entertainment and dining venues will increase remarkably, according to a police statement posted on microblogging site Sina Weibo.
A yellow alert is the second mildest under the four-coded alert system, which goes from green, yellow, orange to red in order of severity.
It means 60 percent of the security personnel in those shopping malls and supermarkets should carry out security checks on suspected personnel, materials and vehicles, according to a government security prevention regulation.
All trash bins in public areas should be checked every 30 minutes.