Beijing today reported a record number of COVID-19 cases in nearly three years, a surge that has prompted authorities to order the closure of schools and restaurants, and many employees have been asked to work remotely, AFP reported, cited by BTA.

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China's twenty-two million capital, which registered 621 new local cases on Sunday, counted 1,438 today - a record since the beginning of the pandemic.

The total number of new infections in the country, including those arriving from abroad, has already exceeded 28,000, according to health authorities.

The southern province of Guangdong and the southwestern city of Chongqing are the hardest hit.

Chinese cities have reported record numbers of people infected with COVID-19

China is the last major economy in the world to implement a strict health policy called "zero COVID", which envisages all possible measures to prevent new infections and deaths, such as lockdowns immediately after new cases are discovered, quarantines for those who test positive and almost daily population testing.

This strategy was effective at first, but seems to have expired as new options emerged and dealt a heavy blow to the economy, isolating China from the rest of the world.

Three elderly Beijing residents with co-morbidities died of COVID-19 over the weekend - the first recorded deaths linked to the virus since May.

The capital's authorities are likely seeking to avoid for the time being a strict lockdown like the one in Shanghai in the spring, but have nevertheless stepped up sanitary measures in recent days.

Nearly 600 areas in Beijing, particularly residential areas, are considered "high-risk", requiring residents to stay at home or be referred to quarantine centres.

Queues outside street testing centers are getting longer as a negative test taken within the last 24 hours is required to enter most public places.

However, on November 11, the Chinese government announced a number of decisions easing the "zero COVID" policy, including reducing the quarantine period for arrivals from abroad.

Last week, a number of cities in China suspended mass testing, but some have since re-introduced it - showing how difficult it is to control the more contagious Omicron variant.

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