Beijing gyms and sports centers have started canceling events as health authorities in the capital city grapple with a new outbreak of coronavirus cases that could lead to a second wave if not contained soon.
Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports Moves Amid New Outbreak
The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports on Wednesday issued an urgent notice that states all sports events will be suspended amid a new outbreak that led to a soft lockdown across the Chinese capital.
The issue further noted that gyms and underground swimming pools will be closed until further notice. Group sports, including but are not limited to football and basketball will not be allowed.
Even open sports facilities have been ordered to adhere by the new guidelines as part of the Beijing government's efforts in containing the new COVID-19 outbreak.
Over 350,000 People Tested in Beijing
As of Wednesday, the number of people who had to undergo nucleic acid tests in Beijing has reached 356,000, local authorities revealed.
Among the people who were tested since June 13 were potential contact persons of those who tested coronavirus positive such as people who visited the wholesale market in question as well as those who worked at the market.
The news came less than a day after the capital city raised emergency levels in a bid to control the new outbreak's spread.
New Outbreak May Have Started a Month Earlier
Director of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention Gao Fu said on Wednesday that the emergence of new coronavirus clusters in the capital may actually have begun a month earlier than initially expected.
Gao said that instead of early June or late May, the new COVID-19 outbreak in the city may have started a month earlier since asymptomatic cases are hard to trace.
Asymptomatic cases have proven to be a huge stumbling block in the efforts of Asian countries in controlling the virus as these patients continue to roam around without knowing they are already infected.
Gao's comments came after China reported 28 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the mainland. Of the new cases, Beijing accounted for 21 of the new patients.
Soft Lockdown, Emergency Level Back to Level II
Less than two weeks after Beijing downgraded the emergency level to Level III, the response was raised to Level II again and flights were canceled as fears of a second wave rise in the city.
Reopened schools have been ordered to shut down as a precaution while contact tracing continues across the city. Streets have been closed off and as of Tuesday, nearly 30 neighborhoods have been shut down by the government.
As for flights, over 1,200 from the capital's two airports were canceled. The canceled flights include both outbound and inbound travels. Even car-hailing services and most long-distance bus routes from the capital were shut down.
As of Wednesday, China logged a total of 83,293 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 4,634 deaths from the fast-spreading disease.
