COVID-19 Spread in Beijing, China Ahead of Winter Olympics

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] COVID-19 cases are continuously emerging in Beijing, the capital of China, ahead of next year's Winter Olympics.

According to the National Health Commission of China (NHC) on the 23rd, there were 38 new confirmed cases of community transmission across China in the previous day.

By region, there were 17 cases in Gansu (甘肅), 11 in Neimenggu (內蒙古, Inner Mongolia), 6 in Beijing (北京), and 3 in Ningxia (寧夏).

The recent COVID-19 cases in Beijing are reported to be spreading mainly among group tourists who traveled to Gansu Province and the Neimenggu Autonomous Region.

The Chinese government and Beijing city have implemented a policy requiring a 3-week facility quarantine for arrivals from abroad entering Beijing, and have also enforced entry control policies for outsiders entering Beijing. Because of this, since January, there have occasionally been 1 to 2 confirmed cases in Beijing, but they were quickly contained.

Chinese health authorities have upgraded the residential area in Changping (昌平) District of Beijing, where confirmed cases were found, to a medium-risk area and have installed temporary testing sites for mass testing of residents.

At a press conference yesterday, Cai Qi (蔡奇), Beijing Party Secretary, stated, "A large-scale epidemiological investigation will be conducted throughout Beijing to identify close contacts and secondary contacts of COVID-19 cases," adding, "Health monitoring is also being carried out for people who visited areas where confirmed cases have occurred."