Beijing residents advised to stay put for May Day
By DU JUAN in Beijing and ZHANG YU | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2022-04-18 19:24
Residents in Beijing are advised to spend the upcoming May Day holiday in the city and not leave the capital if not necessary in order to lower COVID-19 transmission risk, a Beijing official said on Monday.
"During the upcoming five-day holiday, there will be more events and gatherings of people which can increase the risk of infection," Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said at a news conference on Monday.
She also reminded residents who are planning their vacation not to travel to medium- or high-risk areas or participate in mass gatherings.
"We should choose outdoor activities, wear masks and keep social distance at crowded outdoor places such as squares, fitness fields and parks," she said.
According to Pang, people who arrive in Beijing should have a negative nucleic acid test taken within 48 hours and take another test after they arrive within 72 hours.
Pang's advice came as several cities in the mainland are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and the capital has reported new cases.
On Sunday, Beijing reported three local confirmed cases, four imported confirmed cases and one imported asymptomatic carrier, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.
For the city's mass vaccination, over 60 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Beijing involving more than 23 million residents as of Sunday, and over 15 million residents had received COVID-19 booster shots.
