Beijing Local Authorities Urge Citizens Not To Leave Capital On Lunar New Year

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2021) China's capital Beijing is urging residents not to leave the city save for emergencies during the upcoming Lunar New Year, the local government's spokesman said on Monday.

Earlier, Wang Bin, an official from the Chinese National Health Commission, asked his countrymen to refrain from unnecessary travel during the holidays in order to exacerbate the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

"We are calling on the citizens to spend the New Year holidays in Beijing, not leave the city unless necessary, decrease movement and gatherings of people, and also limit risks while traveling," Xu Hejian, a spokesman for the Beijing government, said during a press conference.

The city authorities have already announced new quarantine restrictions for people who will arrive in Beijing from February 28 to March 15, with those coming from regions with a low risk of infection will have to provide a negative PCT test received no earlier than seven days before the arrival and then get tested again on the seventh and fourteenth day of their stay in the city. Meanwhile, those living in areas with medium or high risk of infection are barred from entering the capital altogether.