Thousands of coronavirus testing sites have popped up on sidewalks across Beijing and other Chinese cities in the latest development in the country’s “zero-COVID” strategy. Regular testing of residents is becoming the new normal.
Many cities including Beijing are requiring a negative test result within the last three days to enter a public place or take the bus or subway. Some have made it a week or 10 days. The tests are free, with the result reflected on the person’s smartphone health app roughly 12 hours later.
Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission, said testing has become more important because omicron is both more contagious and is spread by people without symptoms. A handful of new cases — some linked to a nightlife quarter in Beijing and a hair salon in Shanghai — prompted authorities to lock down areas in both cities Thursday. The cases followed an easing of restrictions on movement andAndy Chen, a senior analyst with the Trivium China consultancy, said the proliferation of testing sites is a reaction to the failure of existing measures to control omicron in Shanghai, though officials have not explicitly said so.
“The regular testing requirements are meant to improve the zero-COVID strategy,” Chen said in an email. “The end goal is to keep the virus under control while avoiding another Shanghai-like lockdown.”