A Covid-19 vaccine mandate will be enforced in some public venues across Beijing starting on Monday, officials in the nation’s capital said on Wednesday, which means those who have not been vaccinated will be restricted from entering these places.
It will be mainland China’s first vaccine mandate.
According to Li Ang, deputy head of Beijing Health Commission, except those who are not suitable for Covid-19 vaccination, only the vaccinated will be allowed to enter many public places including educational institutions, museums, libraries, cinemas, art galleries, cultural centres, stadiums, sports and fitness centres, internet cafes and other entertainment venues, while other places may enforce restriction that will give priority to those who have been vaccinated.
“Under the current situation of pandemic prevention and control, vaccination is still an effective way to prevent being infected and prevent conditions from further worsening,” said Li, who encouraged the elderly people who often visit activity centres to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
As of Wednesday, Beijing has administered more than 62 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to over 23.4 million people – 3.61 million of them aged above 60. By late 2020, the city had some 4.3 million residents aged above 60 years old.
Beijing reported nine new Covid-19 cases between Tuesday and 3 pm on Wednesday – all detected under quarantine.
Elsewhere in mainland China, a recent outbreak began on Saturday in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, with the number of cases reaching 29 by Tuesday. The Omicron subvariant BA.5.2 is reportedly blamed for this latest outbreak, which is more contagious than the previous strain, according to Xi’an’s centre for disease control and prevention.
Anhui province reported 81 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 141 asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers on Tuesday, the provincial Health Commission said on Wednesday, China Daily reported.
In Macao, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced earlier today 88 new positive cases, with the SAR’s Covid-19 tally in the latest outbreak that began mid last month now totalling 1,303 cases.
