China tests 2M in Beijing, lifts COVID lockdown in Xi’an

By KEN MORITSUGU

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities are testing some two million residents of Beijing after a series of virus cases prompted concerns two weeks ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics.

The new measures in Beijing came as the city of Xi'an lifted a monthlong lockdown on its 13 million residents as infections subsided there.

Meanwhile, the government told people in areas of Beijing deemed at high risk for infection not to leave the city. Residents in Fengtai district lined up on snow-covered sidewalks in freezing weather for testing.

The Olympics are being held in a bubble and athletes must be vaccinated or have to quarantine on arrival.

Xi’an has been a cornerstone of China’s “zero tolerance” strategy toward COVID-19 that mandates lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing.