Fourth wave scare: China tests millions again to control 'explosive' Covid-19 outbreak, halts offline sports events

The latest Covid-19 outbreak of 228 cases has been linked to the Heaven Supermarket Bar, which had just reopened as restrictions in Beijing eased last week. (Photo credits: Reuters)

The Covid-19 outbreak linked to the bar in Beijing's biggest district - Chaoyang - was "still developing", a health official said on Monday.

 

Chaoyang on Monday also kicked off a three-day mass testing campaign among its roughly 3.5 million residents. About 10,000 close contacts of the bar`s patrons have been identified, and their residential buildings put under lockdown.

 

Some planned school reopenings in the district have also been postponed. (Photo credits: Reuters)

Long queues around Covid-19 testing sites were witnessed on Monday.

 

Officials, have so far not commented on the exact cause of the latest outbreak, nor explained why they are not yet reinstating the level of Covid-19 curbs seen last month. (Photo credits: Reuters)

Beijing has also suspended all offline sports events starting from June 13 citing high transmission risks of the recent Covid-19 outbreak. (Photo credits: Reuters)

Drinking and dining in most of Beijing`s establishments only resumed on June 6 after more than a month in which the city of 22 million enforced curbs including urging people to work from home and shutting malls and parts of the transport system. (Photo credits: Reuters) 

As Chinese authorities wrestled with new Covid-19 cases in April, retail sales in Beijing shrank 16% year-on-year, while property sales nosedived 25%. Data for May, due later this month, is expected to be dire as well.

 

The re-emergence of infections is now raising new concerns about the outlook for the world's second-largest economy. (Photo credits: Reuters)