New neighbourhoods shut down and ordered to undergo mass COVID-19 testing in Beijing
People lined up for throat swabs across much of Beijing as mass testing was expanded to 11 of the city's 16 districts.
“I'm not worried that Beijing would suffer from a shortage of supplies so I don't plan to stock up,” said Zhang Yifan, who was on his way to get tested in Dongcheng district. “Because if people stock up blindly, it may cause a waste of resources. If people keep too much supplies at home, it will cause a shortage.”
However, 86-year-old Beijing resident Chen Shengzhen said the capital had been given more time to prepare than its southern cousin. Shanghai residents, confined to their complexes or buildings, had trouble ordering food deliveries and also faced higher prices. The lockdown of China's largest city has had ripple effects elsewhere as goods have backed up at Shanghai's port, affecting factory production, global supply chains and China's own economic growth.