Beijing Covid spike prompts mass testing, panic buying

Beijing Covid spike prompts mass testing, panic buying

Fears of a hard Covid lockdown sparked panic buying in Beijing as long queues formed on Monday in a large central district for mass testing ordered by the Chinese authorities, according to AFP.

China was already trying to contain a wave of infections in its largest city Shanghai, which has been almost entirely locked down for weeks and reported 51 new Covid deaths on Monday.

Downtown Beijing's biggest district Chaoyang, home to around 3.5 million people, ordered mass testing from Monday for residents and those coming to work there -- the area hosts the headquarters of many multinational firms and embassies.

Many of the capital's fitness studios and gyms have canceled classes or closed. Beijing has also imposed tight controls on entry to the city, with travelers required to have a negative Covid test within 48 hours.

Pakistan has reported 105 coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 1,527,856.

No new fatalities were reported during this period and the death toll remains at

30,369. The positivity rate was recorded as 0.54 percent while 186 patients are critical.

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