北京で全員検査開始、買いだめに走る人も

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】新型コロナウイルスの感染者が急増する中国・北京中心部で２５日、集団検査を待つ人の長蛇の列ができた。厳格なロックダウン（都市封鎖）への懸念から、買いだめに急ぐ人の姿も見られた。（写真は中国・北京のスーパーマーケットから出て来た人）
　上海では、過去数週間にわたりほぼ全域でロックダウンが敷かれており、２５日には５１人の死亡が報告された。外出できない人への生鮮食品の配給が滞り、新型コロナ以外で診察を受けることが難しくなっている。
　北京では先週、数十人の感染者が確認された。２５日の新規感染者数は１４人となった。北京でも上海のような厳しいロックダウンが行われるのではないかとの懸念が広がっている。
　北京で最多の人口３５０万人を擁する朝陽区は２４日、翌２５日から住民と同区に勤務する人を対象に全員検査を行うと発表した。区内には国際企業の本部や各国大使館も多い。
　全員検査の発表を受け、住民は必需品の買いだめに急いだ。生鮮食品の配達アプリでは発表後すぐに多くの品が売り切れとなったが、２５日には在庫が戻っていた。
　北京在住の男性（３１）は２５日、集団検査のことを聞いて卵や野菜などを買いに来た。男性はＡＦＰに対し、幼い子どもがいるので、外出禁止を命じられても大丈夫なように食料を蓄えておきたいと語った。「大人は数日耐えられるが、子どもはそうはいかない」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/04/26-10:26）

Fears of a hard Covid lockdown sparked panic buying in Beijing on Monday, as long queues for compulsory mass testing formed in a large central district of the Chinese capital.
China is already trying to contain a wave of infections in its biggest city Shanghai, which has been almost entirely locked down for weeks and reported 51 new Covid deaths on Monday.
Shanghai has struggled to provide fresh food to those confined at home, while patients have reported trouble accessing non-Covid medical care -- and the rising cases in the capital triggered fears of a similar lockdown.
Downtown Beijing's most populous district Chaoyang, home to around 3.5 million people, ordered mass testing from Monday for residents and those coming to work there. The area hosts embassies and the headquarters of many multinational firms.
Queues snaked around malls and outside office complexes as people waited to be swabbed by health workers in protective gear.
If a single case is found, this area could be affected, said office worker Yao Leiming, 25, as he headed for a testing site in Chaoyang with a group of colleagues.
The mass testing order, and warnings of a grim Covid situation in the city, sparked a run on Beijing's supermarkets overnight as residents rushed to stockpile essentials.
Many items on grocery delivery apps sold out on Sunday night after the testing order was announced, but stocks were replenished Monday.
Beijing health official Pang Xinghuo said at a press conference Monday there had been 70 infections across half the city's districts since Friday, saying the distribution area of infected people... has expanded.
Officials told residents not to leave the city for the upcoming five-day May public holiday or join group gatherings.
Around 40 percent of Monday's scheduled flights from the capital's airports were cancelled, according to flight tracking data.
- 'People are anxious' -
With fears that harsher measures were looming, Beijing resident Zhao picked up several bags of groceries including eggs and fresh vegetables from a store on Monday.
The 31-year-old said he wanted to make sure his toddler would have enough to eat if the family was ordered to stay home.
Adults can survive for a few days, but it's not the same for children, Zhao, who only wanted to be known by his surname, told AFP.
Wang, another supermarket customer, said she was concerned that things will become like in Shanghai.
People are anxious... everyone is snapping up goods and we're worried that items might run out, the 48-year-old Chaoyang resident said.
Her family had secured enough food to last a week, she added.
Local media also reported soaring sales of storage appliances in Beijing. One online retailer told state-owned Beijing Evening News that it sold 300 freezers on Sunday -- what is normally sold in a month.
The city government on Sunday tried to ease fears, with an official saying supply and distribution was stable.
The capital has reported 19 new infections on Monday -- including asymptomatic ones -- after a warning from authorities that the virus has been circulating undetected.
A Tencent Maps compilation of restricted zones indicated multiple buildings were sealed off, while several fitness studios in the capital have also temporarily closed.
Travellers into the city are required to have a negative Covid test from within 48 hours. On Monday, state media said authorities have suspended local group tours in Beijing.
- Heavy toll -
Beijing's numbers pale in comparison with Shanghai, which has recorded over half a million cases since March 1.
The economic hub of 25 million people is struggling to defeat China's worst outbreak in two years, despite weeks of strict measures.
Under its zero-Covid strategy, China has imposed lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions to stamp out infections.
Nomura analyst estimates say some 340 million people are currently affected by full or partial lockdowns.
Officials say this policy has helped avoid the public health crises seen elsewhere in the world during the pandemic, but the approach has taken a heavy toll on businesses and public morale.
Shares in Hong Kong and mainland China plunged Monday on growing fears about the domestic impact of the outbreak, while global oil prices sank over five per cent.