China imposes ‘secret lockdown’ in areas surrounding Beijing ahead of Winter Olympics 2022
With just a few days to go for the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, the authorities of China have reportedly forced lakhs of people to stay inside their homes by imposing a ‘secret lockdown’ in areas surrounding Beijing as a precautionary measure for Covid-19.
China has reported just a handful of Covid-19 cases in the last few days but has reportedly forced a large number of people to stay inside their homes in areas neighbouring Beijing, which is the country capital, though no public announcements have been made about this lockdown.
According to media reports, over 20 lakh people around Beijing were forced into a lockdown without any prior notice or warnings with just five days to go for the Winter Olympics. This has reportedly been done to make sure that no new Covid-19 cases are reported while the games are going on.
Reportedly, the highest number of Covid-19 cases has been reported from the Fengtai district of Beijing, and lakhs of people have been forced to stay home by the authorities, with the process of Covid-19 testing taking place for the entire locality.
People surrounding Beijing have not been allowed to enter or leave their residential areas, local virus prevention staff confirmed to AFP on Friday. Other lockdowns in China were announced by the authorities, but this reported lockdown has come without any warning, sparking confusion among the population.
As per AFP reports, the virus prevention staff of Xiong County, which is an area near Beijing, have said that the lockdown is expected to last for a week. Roadblocks were set up on some of the routes, and residents were asked to stay home for quarantine, as per reports.
China’s Zero Covid strategy was put into place to control the spread of the virus, and lockdowns under this policy were announced on city websites and local authorities. This time, no announcement was posted on the website or social media of the city or state authorities.
The lockdown in several areas surrounding Beijing was reportedly placed on Tuesday last week and is expected to remain in place till the Winter Olympics 2022 conclude in the country.