China Tests 2M in Beijing, Lifts COVID Lockdown in Xi'an

A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Beijing has prompted authorities to test millions and impose new measures two weeks ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics, even as the city of Xi'an in north-central China lifted on Monday a monthlong lockdown that had isolated its 13 million residents.

Officials in Beijing said they would conduct a second round of mass testing of the Fengtai district's 2 million residents, where the majority of the capital's 40 coronavirus cases since Jan. 15 have been found. That came a day after authorities announced that anyone who buys or who has bought fever, cough or certain other medicines in the past two weeks would be required to take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours.

The severe measures, despite a relatively low number of cases, illustrate the acute concern of government officials in the run-up to the Olympics, which open in Beijing on Feb. 4.

"The current epidemic prevention situation is still grim and complicated and all departments across the city must act proactively and swiftly," Beijing city spokesperson Xu Hejian said.

"The overall situation is controllable," he added.

The ruling Communist Party's "zero tolerance" COVID-19 policy mandates lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing whenever a case is discovered. Anti-virus measures have intensified in the past month with lockdowns in Xi'an and two other cities, and the partial suspension of train and plane routes to Beijing to stop travel from areas with outbreaks.

Overall, the number of reported new cases has been falling in China from more than 100 a day at the peak of the Xi'an outbreak to 18 on Sunday, six of which were in Beijing. Despite the drop, pandemic controls remain stepped-up ahead of the Olympics, where all participants will be tested every day and be completely isolated from the general public.

On top of the first round of mass testing in Beijing's Fengtai district, targeted testing was conducted Sunday at residential communities in six other districts, the Beijing Daily reported. It wasn't fully clear who was being tested. The newspaper said that in one community, an official said that if a resident had been to a high-risk area in Fengtai or Fangshan, another affected district, occupants of the entire building would have to be tested twice.

The government told people in areas of Beijing deemed at high risk for infection not to leave the city. A number of nearby provinces reported cases linked to the outbreaks in the capital, including Shandong and Hebei provinces. The city of Shenyang in Liaoning province reported a positive test result in a person with no symptoms, also linked to the Beijing clusters.

The announcement by the city of Xi'an Monday followed the restart of commercial flights from the city over the weekend. The major tourism center and former imperial capital, famed as the home of the Terracotta Warrior statue army, struggled to get food to some residents in the early days of the lockdown, after people were confined to their homes.

Access to Xi'an was suspended Dec. 22 following an outbreak attributed to the delta variant of the coronavirus. The city is about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Beijing.

Other outbreaks prompted the government to impose travel bans on a number of cities, including the port of Tianjin, about an hour from Beijing. The stiff regulations are credited with preventing major nationwide outbreaks and China has reported relatively few cases of the highly infectious omicron variant.

The Olympics are being held under strict controls that are meant to isolate athletes, staff, reporters and officials from residents. Athletes are required to be vaccinated or undergo a quarantine after arriving in China.

Organizers on Monday said 39 people among the 2,586 athletes, team officials and others who arrived after Jan. 4 had tested positive for the virus upon landing at Beijing airport. Another 33 people who had already entered the bubble isolating participants from the general public later tested positive, the organizing committee said on its website.

The statement did not identify those who tested positive other than to say they were "outside stakeholders," a term that excludes athletes or coaches. China mandates 21 days of quarantine for people arriving from abroad, but had waived that for those coming for the Olympics on condition they tested negative for the virus.