BEIJING: Beijing has tightened COVID-19 curbs over issues that China’s mass travel during the vacation period might trigger cases to spike within the capital, as it reported locally transmitted cases for a fourth straight day on Sunday (Dec 27).

A gathering led by the capital’s Communist party boss, Cai Qi, urged all districts in Beijing to enter an “emergency” mode, sealing off residential compounds and villages the place infections are found.

Shunyi District, where all of the recent coronavirus cases have been reported, has declared a wartime mode and testing for all its 800,000 individuals. All of the cases reported on Saturday had been close contacts of earlier cases.

Chaoyang district, which neighbors Shunyi, has completed testing 234,413 individuals in three neighborhoods, with none testing positive. Individuals who haven’t received their test results are not allowed to go out, the district government mentioned.

Some residential compounds in Tongzhou have reimposed temperature checks upon entry and the number of entrances has been reduced, as per local media news.

China has largely brought COVID-19 under control however sporadic cases are resurfacing in a small number of cities. Authorities plan to vaccinate 50 million individuals in high-risk groups earlier than the week-long Chinese New Year holidays from Feb 11, mentioned state media Global Times.

Beijing has requested its civil servants to remain within the city from Jan 1 till the vacation and requested the general public to keep away from unnecessary travel during the period.

Public venues like theme parks and churches have scaled back working hours. Some Catholic churches in Beijing, together with Wangfujing’s Catholic Church, have stopped admitting churchgoers and halted group activities, the archdiocese of Beijing mentioned on its website.