Chinese authorities have been struggling to contain the continuously spreading coronavirus infection in Beijing for the last week, said city authorities on Saturday, which raises the possibility for more stringent restrictions that could be implemented similarly to other cities in the nation.
During a press briefing on Saturday, Beijing officials said they were already tracking cases across multiple districts. The list of infected includes students, tour groups, and interior decoration workers. The capital also observed 22 new local cases on Saturday, said national health authorities on Sunday morning.
Beijing's COVID-19 Struggles
In a statement, municipal official Tian Wei said that Beijing has recently experienced multiple outbreaks of coronavirus infection involving several transmission chains. They added that the risk of continued and undetected transmissions was very high, calling the situation "urgent and grim."
The number of infections in Shanghai increased the pressure to contain the outbreak in the capital despite a failed weeks-long lockdown. The restrictions have brought the financial hub to a standstill, as per CNN.
The lockdown has caused Shanghai's supply chains to be frozen, and many residents are forced to be confined in their homes for even longer. On Apr. 18, the country's largest city announced its first fatalities from the recent outbreak.
On Sunday, the National Health Commission released data that showed there were 39 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total death toll to 87. Since the beginning of the newest outbreak, the country has logged roughly 22,000 new local virus cases.
According to France24, the city, which is home to nearly 25 million people, has also struggled to provide fresh food to residents who are confined, and patients reportedly have trouble accessing regular medical care. This results from thousands of health staff being deployed to support COVID-19 testing and treatment.
The prolonged lockdown has also garnered intense scrutiny online from residents who are displeased by the situation. In a statement, health official Pang Xinghuo said that preliminary observation suggested that the coronavirus has been spreading "invisibly" within the capital for the last week.
Spreading Illness
In the six-minute-long video footage shared on Chinese social media on Saturday, users showed a panoramic view of the city's empty streets. The recording also featured the voices of locals who are complaining about food and medical shortages that have plagued Beijing.
But because of China's army of web censors, netizens have faced pushback and have had the video removed from social media. However, some comments made on the original post were able to survive and have been saved by other users.
One dispirited social media user said that the only thing they could say was that if authorities were not willing to listen to a small number of real voices, then the situation was really hopeless, the New York Post reported.
One middle school in the region was also the place where multiple cases were detected, prompting authorities to shutter the institution on Friday. The students and teachers in the district are required to take several COVID-19 tests over the coming week.
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