Beijing to lower COVID-19 emergency response to Level III after new outbreak subsides

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/19 18:05:29

Vendors leave the Xinfadi Market in Fengtai district, Beijing on Sunday after getting their belongings back. The market was the epicenter of recent COVID-19 outbreak in the capital, during which 335 confirmed cases had been reported as of Sunday. These vendors have undergone 28 days of quarantine and received negative results in nucleic acid tests. Photo: cnsphoto


 
Beijing will downgrade its public health emergency response to Level III from Level II from Monday, as zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported over the two incubation periods, effectively controlling the spread of the latest resurgence of epidemic within 40 days.

Chen Bei, Beijing municipal government's deputy secretary general, announced the decision at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, without wearing a face mask.

Travel websites saw a sevenfold increase in flight searches in and out of Beijing from the previous hour, after Beijing announced the change in emergency response. Ticket bookings from Beijing to Shanghai saw the biggest increase, according to media reports. The news are expected to push up some 250 million trips to and from Beijing.  

Under Level III, Beijing will maintain visitor capacity restrictions of 50 percent at tourist attractions, museums, gyms and libraries. Exhibitions, sports events and other activities will be gradually resumed.

All arrivals from overseas still need to undergo isolation and observation at designated sites as well as nucleic acid testing. International flights to Beijing have to enter China through the designated first point of entry.

According to the Beijing municipal government, dark, damp underground spaces with poor ventilation will no longer be used as business and trade venues.

Beijing will strictly enforce prevention and control measures at food markets, restaurants, construction sites, factories and other key sites, and establish a system for monitoring environmental health at food markets and reporting symptoms to employees.

Beijing will strictly inspect and quarantine food at ports, and comprehensively strengthen supervision over imported cold chain food.

Temperature detection in public transport and health code checks in public places will be still strictly enforced.

Beijing hasn’t reported confirmed cases for 13 consecutive days since the new outbreak linked to the Xinfadi food market broke out on June 11.

A total of 335 confirmed local cases were reported in Beijing, with 132 in hospitals and 203 cured and discharged from June 11 to July 18, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.

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