As a five-day vacation approaches, Beijing has prohibited all restaurant meals; shut down Universal Studios, and demanded residents to provide confirmation of a negative Covid test in order to visit public places.

In China, the Labor Day weekend, which began this year on Saturday, has traditionally been a bustling period for mass travel and reunions. This year, though, there is little holiday cheer as the Chinese government intensifies its zero-Covid policy; in the face of the country’s deadliest outbreak since Wuhan.
Many local governments have issued orders requiring inhabitants to leave their communities only if absolutely necessary; as well as imposing extended quarantine restrictions for those travelling from places where Covid cases have been reported.

According to the Chinese Transport Ministry, 100 million journeys will be made over the holiday season, a 62 percent decrease from the previous year.
While a month-long lockdown in Shanghai’s financial district continues; Beijing is dealing with a fresh Omicron outbreak that has officials and people on edge.

Beijing officials have previously conducted many rounds of mass testing, shut down dozens of neighbourhoods, and closed schools; however restrictions were tightened much more at the start of the Christmas season.