As restrictions on day-to-day life in China start to ease, Beijing's most populous district lies practically deserted.
China dropped most of its strict COVID curbs on Wednesday.Businesses have been forced to close as infected workers quarantine while people try to reduce their exposure.
But cities that were already battling their most severe outbreaks, including Beijing, saw a sharp decrease in economic activity with residents slow to emerge. With regular COVID testing of Beijing residents scrapped and reserved only for groups such as health workers, official tallies for new cases have plunged.
"In my company, the number of people who are COVID-negative is close to zero," said a woman who works for a tourism and events firm in Beijing and who asked to be identified as Nancy.Sunday is a normal business day for shops in Beijing and it is usually bustling, particularly in spots like the historic Shichahai neighbourhood, which is packed with boutiques and cafes.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Excitement and apprehension as China loosens zero-Covid measuresSome people are keen to enjoy their new freedoms, but others are fearful of a major wave of infections
Read more »
COVID-zero exit another test for Xi JinpingOPINION: The policy switch was unavoidable and is good news, but it could come at a cost if omicron sweeps through the elderly population in particular and the death toll mounts.
Read more »
Latest COVID-19 wave may have crested in Victoria, but hospitalisations upVictoria has recorded a 3.4 per cent rise in new COVID cases in the past week, but hospitalisations and deaths have jumped.
Read more »
Latest COVID-19 wave may have crested in Victoria, but hospitalisations upVictoria has recorded a 3.4 per cent rise in new COVID cases in the past week, but hospitalisations and deaths have jumped.
Read more »
Qld Health urges COVID-19 jabs as cases rise, bucking national trendQueensland has seen a large jump in COVID-19 cases in the last week, the opposite of every other part of the country which is seeing new cases fall.
Read more »