Beijing has revoked the license of a bar at the centre of a fast-spreading Covid-19 outbreak in the capital city, which has been linked to at least 327 cases of the infection across several districts, triggering mass tests and targeted lockdowns.
Local authorities filed a criminal case against the owner of the Heaven Supermarket bar, located in the city’s most populous Chaoyang district, late on Tuesday night, listing it for “seriously breaching the law and conducting dishonest acts”.
“Apart from the bar owner, Beijing police also filed five other criminal cases, including a bargoer who wandered freely from one district to another, even when told to quarantine at home,” the state-run tabloid, Global Times reported.
The fresh cluster of cases was reported within days of Beijing easing restrictions and implementing a staggered nucleic acid testing regime after bringing under control the previous Omicron-led outbreak, first discovered on April 22.
Restrictions were eased in the first week of June after a month of city-wide semi-lockdown where public transport was shut down and in-restaurant dining was banned.
The curbs, however, were rolled back last week after cases related to the bar were reported from across Beijing.
Overall, Beijing has reported more than 2,000 Covid-19 cases since April 22.
Meanwhile, Shanghai has ordered all the city’s 16 districts to organise mass Covid-19 testing for residents every weekend until the end of July, a city official said on Wednesday.
Zhao Dandan said that all districts will organise “community screenings” each weekend.
Discovery of a community transmission chain in a district could mean the implementation of “closed management” for all residents, Zhou said.
As of June 14, Shanghai, a city of around 25 million residents, continues to have 39 medium-risk areas in 12 of 16 districts.
