Beijing tourist attractions empty due to coronavirus restrictions

The main tourist attractions in Beijing were almost deserted this Sunday and the activity in the restaurants was almost paralyzed, due to the anticovid restrictions that have confined millions of people in the country, despite the long weekend in China.

The harsh politicszero covid” maintained by China and which has managed to contain the spread of the virus, has been tested in recent weeks by an unprecedented outbreak of infections due to the omicron variant.

Look: “Zero covid”: China announces tightening of measures against the coronavirus in Beijing

Millions of people across the country, especially in the economic capital of the country Shanghai, have been forced to stay at home for weeks due to a confinement that threatens the growth of the economy and the confidence of businessmen in the second largest economy in the world. .

In this wave of the pandemic, China has registered 300 cases and the authorities announced a series of restrictions from this Sunday until May 4, including the ban on eating inside restaurants to curb contagion.

These measures slowed activity on a long weekend that is usually one of the busiest for the industry.

“This is definitely going to have an impact on sales”A restaurant employee who identified herself as An told AFP, waiting for customers in the Dongcheng district, near China. attractions landmarks like the Forbidden City.

A worker waits for customers outside a restaurant with covered tables and chairs, Sunday, May 1, 2022, in Beijing. (Ng Han Guan/)

Surrounding restaurants are closed, though some are taking takeout orders from customers who test negative.

Are restrictions constitute the latest in a series of measures imposed by the Chinese authorities, which ordered citizens to have proof of covid refusal made in the last 48 hours to access public spaces.

“Of course we are going to follow the regulations”, said a waiter who preferred not to be identified. “But we have less profit from the sale to go and our sales volume is lower”, counted.

The Temple of Heaven — one of the largest attractions tourist of China — routinely receives tens of thousands of visitors a day. But this Sunday, a few families were able to take photos without the intrusion of any stranger in the picture.

“Necessary for the good of the country”

“Obviously it is bad for our personal interests, but necessary for the good of the country”said a young waiter at a restaurant near the Forbidden City.

The clerk said that they normally sell about 10,000 yuan, about 1,500 dollars a day, but today they collected between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan.

Instead of queuing to enter the Forbidden City, a group of people waited outside the complex to undergo a test, a gesture to which the citizens of beijing They’re used to it.

Workers in protective suits gather at a residential complex amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, during the Labor Day holiday in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, China. (REUTERS/Tony Munroe/)

On Sunday, the Chinese capital reported 59 cases and authorities announced the reopening of quarantine field hospitals, which had not been mobilized since the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.

All activities inside were suspended from this Sunday until May 4, and the authorities are preparing to open 4,000 new beds in field hospitals and large quarantine centers.

“There are still a small number of undetected patients showing up in community testing,” said Pang Xinghuo, a local health authority, in a newsletter.

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, authorities declared on Sunday that “the risks of community transmission have been curbed” and that new daily cases are down.

This financial hub of 25 million people has been under lockdown for nearly a month, prompting complaints of food shortages and a lack of timely medical care.

Source: Elcomercio