World News: Beijing to test 20 million for Covid as Shanghai lockdown misery looms large – Gulf Digital News

World News: Beijing to test 20 million for Covid as Shanghai lockdown misery looms large – Gulf Digital News

BEIJING/SHANGHAI: Three-quarters of Beijing's 22 million people began lining up for Covid-19 tests on Tuesday as authorities in the Chinese capital raced to stamp out an outbreak and avert the kind of city-wide lockdown that has shrouded Shanghai for a month.

Beijing residents also began stocking up on food and supplies on worries of any sudden localised lockdowns, as frustration with tough curbs continues to mount in Shanghai, the Chinese financial and commercial hub that is home to 25 million people.

Videos on social media show people leaning out of Shanghai windows to beat pots and pans in anger, or play "Do you hear the people sing?", a protest anthem from the musical "Les Miserables", on flutes and trumpets.

Trying to avoid a similar fate by acting early, Beijing began mass tests of 3.5 million people in its most populous district Chaoyang on Monday. By the end of the day, authorities listed 10 other districts and one economic development zone for mandatory tests this week, covering a total of 20 million people and ordering 16 million for tests on Tuesday.

The orders come days after dozens of infections were found. Shanghai waited for about a month and more than 1,000 cases before launching city-wide