Beijing sees rising risk of COVID-19 amid cluster breakouts

China's capital Beijing is seeing rising risks of COVID-19 infection as new clusters of local confirmed cases are occurring in many places in the nation, a municipal official said at a news conference on Wednesday .

Tian Wei, an official in the city's information office, said Beijing will closely monitor the development of the epidemic and is being highly cautious of the potential risks.

"In addition to dealing with the city's local cases, Beijing government will strengthen coordination with nearby regions to contain the spread of the coronavirus and strictly ensure the safety of its residents," he said.

Pang Xinghuo, deputy head of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the news conference that residents who have been to Shijiazhuang and Xingtai in North China's Hebei province since Dec 10, where the number of new cases is increasing in past days, should report to their communities and workplace for further epidemic control and prevention measures.

"People who have been in the those two cities since Dec 10 should pay close attention to their own health condition and go to the hospital when symptoms, such as cough and fever, occur," she said.

She reminded the public not to visit medium- and high-risk areas unless absolutely necessary.

Beijing also will strengthen management of both individuals and vehicles that enter Beijing via expressways.

Zhi Xianwei, executive deputy head of Shunyi district, epicenter of the recent cluster of new cases in Beijing, said at the conference that the district has taken closed management for 39,000 people in 16 key areas since the cases were reported in the district.

"The residents should continue another 7-day health monitoring after their communities are released from closed management," he said.

Communities can be lifted from closed management only when nucleic acid tests for individuals, items and the environment all test negative, Zhi said.

Beijing reported one local case on Tuesday, a 28-year-old female who lives in Shunyi and works for a company in the district.

On Tuesday, Beijing government announced that travelers from overseas should undergo a seven-day health monitoring period after the 14-day centralized quarantine after arrival, considering the recent increase in imported cases in the nation.