China's capital, Beijing, has dialled up measures to stop Covid, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case load in recent weeks, just as a key Communist Party congress entered full swing.
The city of 21 million people reported 18 new locally transmitted cases for the previous day, bringing the tally for the past ten days to 197.
That is four times more than the 49 infections detected in the previous ten-day period. While the number of cases is very small compared with other countries, China's zero-Covid policy has compelled the capital to ratchet up preventive measures, particularly with the Communist Party holding its once-every-five-years congress this week, during which President Xi Jinping is expected to win a precedent-breaking third term as its leader.
Beijing's health authority called for stronger screening of risky individuals and meticulous checks on people entering crowded places including supermarkets and gyms.