COVID flares up again: Flights to and from Beijing cancelled

Ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February, several flights to China’s capital were cancelled on Friday (October 29) to check corona virus clusters.

About 50% of all flights at the national capital’s two main airports were cancelled on Friday, reported AFP.

After its initial success in controlling the pandemic, the world’s most populous country is battling a surge in cases, prompting authorities to restrict people to their homes and curb travel besides increasing testing.

Also read: Brrrrr! Brace for a punishing winter in north India early next year

The case count in Beijing is still very low with 48 new cases detected on Friday, taking the number of positive cases to about 250 in last one week. The health department has imposed lockdown-like conditions in the capital to make sure there is no flare up of cases ahead of the Winter Olympics in February.

About 60 lakh people are under lockdown in different cities of the country with about 40 lakh of them in the northwestern city of Lanzhou. While the overall case count remains under control, China is currently struggling to check small outbreaks in at least 11 provinces.

Several provinces have made negative test report mandatory before allowing travellers from cities that have recently reported cases. Other big cities too have brought in strict COVID norms.

A day before, two Beijing-bound trains to stopped and about 500 passengers were sent for testing after railway staff members were identified as close contacts of infected people, media reports said.

One case was found in Heihe city of Heilongjiang province on Thursday, after which the authorities told people to stay at home.