China imposes partial lockdown in Beijing over new COVID-19 cases

Chinese authorities on Wednesday imposed a partial lockdown in the capital Beijing after a few cases of COVID-19 emerged in the city. According to reports, seven COVID-19 infections were detected in the southern district of Daxing on January 20, which prompted the lockdown. The partial lockdown will prevent at least 1.6 million residents of the district from leaving Beijing until further notice. 

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Large gatherings banned

Chinese authorities on Wednesday banned gatherings of more than 50 people in the city and also advised residents to do away with wedding celebrations for the time being. Authorities have asked residents to tone-down funeral gatherings and ordered all schools to shut down and conduct only online classes. This comes ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, which has been curtailed by the government due to COVID-19 concerns. 

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China reported 103 new cases on Wednesday, which prompted the authorities to bring back the restrictions in order to prevent large-scale outbreaks in the country. China has managed to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control since it was first detected in the country in December 2019. While most parts of the world continue to report lakhs of cases, China, on the other hand, is working to block the few hundred infections from turning into a herd transmission by reimposing lockdowns and conducting mass testing.

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China began inoculating people with the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month as it has prioritized nine groups, including those at high risk of catching the virus. According to reports, China is using indigenously developed Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate people. The Communist country has administered the first dose of the vaccine to more than 10 million people so far. 

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