BEIJING (AP) – Beijing has ordered more coronavirus tests for about 2 million people in the city center after new cases were reported in the Chinese capital.
The city health department said all residents of Xicheng and Dongcheng districts should be tested on Friday and Saturday. Results are usually delivered within a few hours via smartphone app.
In one suburb of Dongcheng, several thousand people stood in icy temperatures around a corner and several blocks, waiting to enter a building to test.
They included a group of street sweepers who stood out in their visible red and green uniforms from others wearing dark winter jackets. Everyone wore a mask.
Compulsory testing has been a key feature of China’s effort to contain a new wave of virus outbreaks, and many stores, office buildings and homes now need proof of a recent negative test done on a mobile app to gain access.
Beijing has only recorded 19 new cases in the past week, but strict detection has prompted orders to test anyone who may have come in contact with someone carrying the virus.
Recent confirmed cases have been largely in suburban areas, but some of them traveled downtown before testing positive for the virus.