China has recently locked down Beijing once again in response to a spike in COVID-19 case rates surrounding social venues in the city only days after allowing the city to open back up again.
Government officials are calling for drastic action to contain COVID-19 in the cities raising humanitarian and economic concerns relating to China's treatment of their population.
Reuters reported that following multiple cases linked to a popular 24-hour bar in Beijing, millions are being subjected once again to mass testing and lockdowns are being applied to certain populations. The owner of the bar is under investigation for circumventing COVID-19 prevention measures, and the owner's business license has been revoked.
"We should go all out, race against time," He Lijian, spokesman for the Beijing municipal government, said, according to Reuters. The comment came in reference to the way Beijing authorities intend to handle an increase of COVID-19 cases.
Beijing had just lifted lockdown restrictions on June 6, which shut down entertainment venues in an effort to achieve "zero COVID," as previously reported by Globe Banner. While Beijing has not had as stringent lockdown measures as Shanghai, the willingness of the city and national governments to lock down millions of people has raised humanitarian and economic concerns.
This lockdown has affected international businesses that have offices and factories in Beijing.
"We are at the mercy of mass testing. Factories will have to shut down even if only one positive case is detected," Bettina Schoen-Behanzin, vice president of the European Chamber, said, according to Reuters.
Schoen-Behanzin noted that European companies were thinking twice about future investments in China.