Beijing has launched mass coronavirus testing for nearly all its 21 million residents, as fears grew that the Chinese capital may be placed under a strict lockdown like Shanghai.
Under its zero-Covid policy, China has used lockdowns, mass testing and severe travel restrictions to stamp out infections.
Its biggest city Shanghai has been almost entirely locked down for weeks, and a mass testing order in Beijing has sparked worries that the capital will be placed under the same restrictions.
Beijing has ordered people in 12 central districts that account for most of its population to undergo three rounds of PCR testing after dozens of infections were found in recent days.
The capital's most populous downtown district, Chaoyang, was the first to order mass testing from yesterday, with people waiting in long lines to be swabbed by health workers in protective gear.
Eleven more districts began testing today.
The testing order for Chaoyang sparked panic buying from Sunday night, with residents lining up at supermarkets as state media tried to reassure the public that there were plentiful supplies.
Beijing residents told AFP they feared a repeat of the sudden lockdown in Shanghai, where people have struggled to obtain food and medical care for non-Covid conditions.
Some residential compounds have been sealed off in Chaoyang, much like parts of Shanghai.
The capital reported 33 new cases this morning, a fraction of Shanghai's daily tally of 16,000.
But Beijing officials are anxious to avoid a spiralling outbreak.
They have urged companies to allow employees to work from home and suspended local group tourism ahead of the long 1 May national holiday.
Authorities yesterday urged Beijing residents not to leave the city for these holidays unless necessary.
Beijing's measures are mild, however, compared with actions taken elsewhere, Pinpoint Asset Management chief economist Zhiwei Zhang said in a note.
"I am surprised that the government did not impose restrictive policies in Beijing as harshly and quickly as in other cities that experienced similar outbreaks in recent weeks," he wrote.
Authorities in China are increasingly struggling with the impact of strict zero-Covid protocols on the economy and business morale, especially when outbreaks appear in the country's most important cities.
Concerns have grown around the world about how the outbreaks in China and its Covid policies could impact the global economy, especially supply chains.
The city of Baotou in China's Inner Mongolia region said that after the detection of two virus cases, all residents must stay home, with each household only sending one member out to buy necessities once a day.
That order came as Shanghai's lockdown dragged on, and the city reported 52 new Covid deaths.
Social media users and local news outlets shared images of green metal fences put up across Shanghai to keep residents confined to their buildings.
