Cluster comes a week after city eased restrictions, raising fresh concerns over ‘zero Covid’ policy and economy
Authorities in Beijing are racing to contain a Covid outbreak traced to a 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and big crowds, with millions of people facing mandatory testing and thousands under targeted lockdowns.
In a show of how seriously authorities are taking the situation, the Chinese vice-premier Sun Chunlan visited the bar and said Covid prevention measures would need to be strengthened, state media reported. Chaoyang kicked off a three-day mass testing campaign among its roughly 3.5 million residents on Monday. About 10,000 close contacts of the bar’s patrons have been identified and their residential buildings put under lockdown. Some planned school reopenings in the district have been postponed.
Last week as dine-in curbs were lifted, Heaven Supermarket Bar, modelled as a large self-service liquor store with chairs, sofas and tables, reclaimed its popularity among young, noisy crowds starved of socialising and parties during Beijing’s Covid restrictions.