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July 20, 2020

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Beijing to downgrade emergency response

Source: Xinhua | 00:05 UTC+8 July 20, 2020 | Print Edition

BEIJING will lower its emergency response to COVID-19 from level II to III today, an official of the municipal government said yesterday.

The city has effectively contained the spread of the virus after taking decisive and targeted measures to obstruct infection channels and beef up the prevention and control network, said Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing government.

The city has reported no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 for 14 consecutive days till yesterday, Chen told reporters. From June 11 to July 19, Beijing reported 335 confirmed COVID-19 cases in relation to the Xinfadi wholesale market.

People in Beijing now have a low risk of infection as the spread of the virus in residential communities has been contained, and the city also has a rather low risk of exporting cases to other regions, Chen said, explaining the basis for the downgrading.

After the downgrading, the city will continue to stick to the strategy of preventing imported cases and local resurgence, Chen said.

To prevent local flare-up, the capital will step up epidemic control and prevention at farm produce markets, restaurants and canteens, construction sites, and factories. Environmental monitoring and health situation reporting will be carried out for farm produce markets. Underground spaces with poor ventilation will not be allowed to be used for business, she said.

The capital will also maintain stringent inspections of food imports. Chen reminds the public to wear masks in crowded venues and maintain social distancing.

With necessary prevention measures, conferences with around 500 participants will be allowed, she said. Exhibitions, sports events, shows and cinemas are expected to reopen gradually after risk appraisal.

By 3pm yesterday, 219 of the 335 cases had been discharged from hospital after recovery and 116 were still hospitalized, but there were no severe or critical cases, said Gao Xiaojun, spokesman for Beijing Health Commission.

Fourteen asymptomatic cases and five close contacts are still under observation and there is only one medium-risk area left, he said.

More than 11 million people in Beijing, about half of the capital’s population, took nucleic acid tests between June 11 and July 6, according to local authorities.

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