The five-day break is usually one of the busiest travel times in China, but the worst Covid outbreak in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is expected to keep people at home. Faced with the highly contagious Omicron variant, Chinese officials have doubled their policy to zero Covid by eliminating virus clusters through mass testing and lockdowns. Despite rising financial costs and public frustration, the capital has announced it will further restrict access to public spaces during and after the holiday season. From May 1 to May 4, the city’s restaurants will stop eating and only allow deliveries, local trade official Ding Jianhua told a news conference on Saturday. Authorities also said they had so far prepared 4,000 makeshift hospital beds – commonly used for patients with mild or no Covid symptoms – and were speeding up the creation of larger quarantine areas. A negative Covid test taken last week will also be needed from May 5 to enter “all kinds of public spaces and use public transportation,” according to a statement on Beijing’s official WeChat page. For activities such as sporting events and group travel, participants will also need to submit a negative Covid test within 48 hours, along with proof of complete vaccination, according to the new rules. China reported more than 10,700 domestic Covid cases on Saturday, most of them in the country’s financial engine, Shanghai. Shanghai residents beat pots and pans in protest of lockdown – video The eastern metropolis has been closed for about a month after it became the epicenter of the latest epidemic. Cases are declining, but frustration and anger are rising in the city of 25 million, where many have been ordered to stay home for several weeks. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Shanghai officials said Saturday that new cases had been detected in quarantined or restricted groups – signaling that infections in the community could be slowing down. They added that hundreds of companies on a “white list” had resumed operations, with about 1,000 companies also being able to restart their operations, state media reported. In Beijing, the number of cases reached 54, according to the National Health Committee. As the big holidays began, consumers in the capital were asked to show negative Covid tests – within 48 hours – to enter public places such as shopping malls, shops and scenic spots. The city will make Covid tests free for residents from Tuesday, authorities said.
