28 Jan

Officials in China's capital Beijing have taken further steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus ahead of the busy holiday travel season.

Municipal authorities are on virus alert as the Lunar New Year travel season will be followed by the National People's Congress in the capital in March.

Railways began operating on holiday schedule on Thursday as people start to travel back home.

Beijing's municipal authorities have implemented tight restrictions on movement into the city, effective through March 15.

Specifically, people traveling to Beijing from elsewhere in China need to show they've tested negative with a recent PCR test.

They must also report their health condition for two weeks after arrival, and take PCR tests every other week.

People from high-risk areas are banned in principle from entering the capital.

Beijing has recently seen signs of a resurgence in coronavirus cases. Health officials confirmed the first case of the UK variant in the city on January 20.

nhk