On April 5, community workers in Laoshan Community in West Beijing’s Shijingshan district conduct a range of measures like disinfection, checking temperatures and setting up smart monitors to ensure residents’ safety as China’s capital faces increasing pressure of imported cases from abroad and returnees from other parts of China. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Beijing continues strict anti-epidemic measures amid upcoming two sessions. 

Zhang Ge, an official from the Beijing epidemic prevention and control team, told a press conference on Sunday that given the upcoming two sessions and the epidemic rebound in some other areas in the country, the capital will continue strict management including sealing off communities and villages and properly manage people returning to Beijing.  

There are more than 10,000 communities and 3,000 villages with 3.65 million people returning from outside the city, according to Zhang. 

The Global Times learned that the majority of the communities in Beijing still continue strict management launched since January when the COVID-19 epidemic situation was severe in the country. 

Residents have to provide proof of residency to get in and out of communities they live in. Outsiders have to register and conduct temperature tests to get in. Some communities will not even let outsiders in, the Global Times reporter learned from a resident in Haidian district. 

When the Global Times reporter tried to enter Tsinghua University on Saturday, the reporter had to provide an identification card, a green code, a QR code on WeChat issued by Beijing authorities and accept a temperature before being allowed in. 

A resident named Zhao Youting who returned from Wuhan on May 3 said he was required to undergo a 14-day quarantine and report his temperature twice daily during quarantine. 

He had to provide two negative test results - within an interval of seven days between the two tests - before Beijing health authorities turned his health code green and allowed him to move freely.

"My door is sealed with a paper strip telling my neighbors that I am in quarantine and a surveillance camera is installed outside my door," Zhao told the Global Times on Sunday.  

The State Bureau for Letters and Calls also announced that acceptance of complaints in central and national departments will continue to be suspended due to rebounding epidemics in some places. The service has been suspended since January 28, according to a media report. 

Beijing officials also call for enhanced management in hospitals given the experiences of clustering infections in the Fuxing Hospital in February. 

A total of 36 novel coronavirus cases have been reported in the hospital in Xicheng district, including eight medical workers, nine cleaning staff and 19 patients along with their families. 

Lin Xiangyang, an official from the Beijing government on Sunday noted that Beijing applies the most strict emergency response standards given the special status of the capital. He called for complete functioning of supervision points and reporting systems as well as enhancement of interior management in hospitals.