Beijing is further expanding its scope of nucleic acid testing for COVID-19 in the second wave of
the virus to enhance hazard screening. In addition, it is also taking multiple approaches to ensure
that all citizens consciously obey the epidemic prevention and control measures.
The Chinese capital reported 17 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on June 26, a slight uptick after
the number had been kept stable for days.
The situation is still grave in Beijing and efforts must not be slackened, said a spokesperson of the
Beijing municipal government. Epidemic control is an "advance-or-lose ground", so no effort can
be spared, the spokesperson added.
Focusing on key groups of people, Beijing is doing everything to identify potential dangers. The
cases newly reported on June 26 were still mostly related to the Xinfadi wholesale market where
the second cluster of COVID-19 cases emerged. However, epidemiological investigation showed
that some infected patients had been to a variety of places and contacted many people.. Beijing is
now making every effort to identify risks and continuously expanding the scope of nucleic acid
testing for COVID-19.
Dayanglu Market in Beijing's Chaoyang district, the second largest wholesale market of the city,
has large foot traffic and frequent visits of non-local vehicles. At present, a COVID-19 testing
station is established in the market, and out-of-town drivers can receive their test results within 10
hours.
Wang Hongcun, an official with Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau introduced that the capital
is currently screening the personnel in the hairdressing and beauty industry, including disinfecting
the premises and testing relevant staff. As of the end of June 26, 10,765 entities in the industry had
been screened and 26,286 nucleic acid samples collected. A total of 12,350 test results were
available, and all of them were negative.
Beijing also issued a new guideline to help citizens with epidemic prevention and control. At
present, potential risks of the virus spreading still exist in Beijing, so personal protection of
Beijing citizens is of vital importance.
The Beijing Center for Diseases Prevention and Control recently released a new guideline for the
public, including 25 items divided in 6 major areas – wearing masks, social distancing, hand
hygiene, health monitoring, dietetic hygiene, and daily cleaning and disinfection.
According to Wang Liping, researcher with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, good hygienic habits can lower the possibility of getting infected from contaminants.
She reminded the public to wear masks and properly dispose the packages when receiving express
parcels. Besides, citizens should also wash their hands with running water and soaps, or hand
sanitizers, and avoid the crowds when receiving the parcels at the gates of residential
communities.
Beijing steps up efforts to identify potential risks of COVID-19 spreading
