Channel: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now

Category: News & Politics

Tags: covidclosed shopschinacovid testlockdownbeijing lowdownshopscovid-19coronavirusbeijingvaccination

Description: Stores in Beijing's central shopping areas of the Chaoyang district were closed on Monday after authorities asked non-essential businesses to suspend operations. The suspensions come on top of earlier restrictions that came before May's labor day holidays that limited restaurants and bars to offer only take outs, and closed gyms, karaoke, and other entertainment venues. The additional restrictions, announced by Beijing authorities on Friday, exempts supermarkets, take-out eateries, and other businesses considered essential. Signs in front of clothing stores at the Sanlitun shopping area, including Uniqlo and Adidas, said stores were closed until further notice. China has maintained its hard-line "zero-COVID" approach but has imposed less onerous restrictions in Beijing than in other cities such as Shanghai, where millions were placed under strict lockdown. Districts have been sorted according to the perceived level of COVID-19 risk in each, and people living in districts in the highest categories are barred from leaving the city. A few communities where cases were discovered have been isolated. "There is nothing we can do because the virus is infectious, we have to consider people's safety", said 24-year-old Will Wang, who added that he was not bothered by the closures. Retired resident Yang Xiaochang said she seldom goes out since the recent outbreak in Beijing. All residents were required to undergo three virus tests last week as authorities sought to detect and isolate cases without imposing the sort of sweeping lockdowns seen in Shanghai and elsewhere. A negative test result obtained within the previous 48 hours is required to enter most public spaces, including supermarkets. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake