The noose is tightening in Beijing due to the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Chinese capital. Before a possible confinement of the city as in Shanghai, the authorities have just tightened the health rules. The closure of restaurants to the public came into effect amid the May Day national holiday. The inhabitants must also be constantly tested. A negative screening of less than 48 hours must now be presented to access almost all public places, shopping centers, public transport or even public gardens.
As a result of these new restrictions, there is an unusual calm on the main arteries of Beijing. The legendary traffic jams of the capital have disappeared. The Pekingese seem to have followed the calls made by the authorities in recent days to avoid unnecessary outings as much as possible, as this young man testifies: “If I don’t have things to do, I try not to go out, he indicates. And I’m not the only one: there are very few people in the metro…”
“At this hour, in normal times, people were jostling, now the seats are empty. Here in this avenue, it’s the same, there are very few people.”
A Pekingeseat franceinfo
Enough to spoil the national holidays of May Day, a period during which the Chinese traditionally go out to celebrate the arrival of sunny days. But this year, the atmosphere is radically different. In the trendy district of Sanlitun, nightclubs and bars are closed. Restaurants are only allowed to take orders remotely. If you try to approach the entrance of one of these restaurants, the reception is rather brutal: “Scan this QR code to order the dishes online, and have them delivered to you. Do not approach. It is forbidden to eat here.”
Most Chinese are careful not to openly criticize the tightening of health rules, even if this young woman does not hide her weariness. “I wanted to go out to eat with my friends and family, she indicates. Now that is no longer possible. We can’t have fun with our friends anymore. I can accept it, although I would still like to have more freedom of movement.” “As we are in the capital, she continues, there is more protection, I am sure that the sanitary measures will become more severe. I do not exclude the possibility of confinement, because I know that many residences are already closed.
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The authorities have already confined a hundred residences in Beijing and a dozen sectors are subject to special surveillance with the status of a high health risk zone.
For many professionals, business is slowing down. Taxi drivers are particularly affected, especially around the airport. Traffic has dropped sharply. “Business is not good, he sighs. You see that there are only 70 flights departing and arriving at Daxing airport every day. Before there were more than 300. I arrived at the airport around 8 p.m., no flight between 9 and 10 p.m. I waited a long time for customers. Very few people move, and especially people do not come to Beijing.”
The Beijing authorities seem to be preparing for a deterioration in the health situation. A temporary hospital with 4,000 beds has been put into service and other sites are being built to accommodate positive people, although for the moment the number of cases remains quite low, only around fifty every day in the capital.