Beijing extends COVID control measures amid local outbreak

Beijing will maintain strict and tight COVID-19 control measures as hidden community-level transmission has been discovered through recent screenings, a municipal official said at a press briefing Friday.

Dine-in services at restaurants will remain unavailable, and schools will continue suspending in-person classes, said Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing municipal government.

The national capital reported 54 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections between 3 pm Thursday and 3 pm Friday, said Liu Xiaofeng, deputy head of the Beijing municipal disease prevention and control center.

Fifty-two cases were detected among people under closed-off management, and two were found through mass screening in communities, said Liu.