Beijing Tightens Rules for Entering City after Omicron Case
Medical check-up at Jishuitan Subway Station in Beijing due to COVID-19 threat. The workers, dressed in white, take the temperature to anyone who wants to access the metro. Photo: Pau Colominas. CC BY-SA 4.0.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Beijing will require travelers to get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival in the Chinese capital, state media announced on Sunday, a day after the city reported its first Omicron case and as it readies to stage the Winter Olympics next month.
On Saturday, the city reported the first local infection of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, involving a person who had visited multiple malls and restaurants in the previous 14 days. The person had not left the city since the start of this year.
The new rule, effective from Jan. 22 to end-March, is aimed to help with early detection of Omicron, which is surging globally, and the control of epidemic risks, Beijing Daily, a government newspaper, said on its official social media account, Reuters reported.
Already, the capital city requires inbound travelers to take a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of departure for the city and have a green code on the city’s health tracking app.
The city and neighboring Hebei province will host the Olympics, which start on Feb. 4, inside a “closed loop” separating athletes and other Games personnel from the general public.
Full story: tasnimnews.com
Tasnim News Agency
