Beijing announces further virus prevention measures

Public transportation in Beijing has tightened its management to enhance protection against the Delta variant of COVID-19 that has recently spread in China.

Flights to Beijing from 14 cities with cases of the virus were canceled, said Zhao Ying, deputy general manager of Beijing Capital International Airport, at a news conference on Friday.

The airport would adopt stricter management on flights landing in Beijing according to management and control guidelines against the virus as well as the development of the epidemic in cities nationwide, Zhao said.

Taxi drivers should obey regulations, including disinfection of the car and wearing masks, and passengers must wear masks and scan their health codes in the car to record movements during trips.

As of Friday, Beijing has declared two medium-risk areas for COVID-19. The city reported zero new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Friday, and reported three locally transmitted confirmed cases on Wednesday.

Feng Xiaojie contributed to this story.