Beijing has launched mass coronavirus testing for nearly all its 21 million residents, as fears grew that the Chinese capital may be placed under a strict lockdown like Shanghai.
Under its zero-Covid policy, China has used lockdowns, mass testing and severe travel restrictions to stamp out infections. Its biggest city Shanghai has been almost entirely locked down for weeks, and a mass testing order in Beijing has sparked worries that the capital will be placed under the same restrictions.
Beijing has ordered people in 12 central districts that account for most of its population to undergo three rounds of PCR testing after dozens of infections were found in recent days.
The capital's most populous downtown district, Chaoyang, was the first to order mass testing from yesterday, with people waiting in long lines to be swabbed by health workers in protective gear.