Beijing officials on Friday told residents to postpone weddings and keep funeral ceremonies short, as disease controls across China were tightened just months before the Winter Olympics kicks off in the capital. But China is now grappling with flare-ups in a dozen regions linked to tourists, spurring officials to order millions to stay home, restrict inter-provincial travel and ramp up testing. Queues stretched down the roads outside Beijing's medical centres as people sought to comply with newly enhanced Covid controls. "I initially arranged to meet friends here (in Beijing), but the recent outbreak made many suddenly say they're not coming," she said. With Beijing officials keeping a wary eye on outbreaks in other parts of China, around half of all flights at the capital's two main airports were cancelled Friday, according to Chinese tracking platform Feichangzhun.

Source: The Telegraph October 29, 2021 17:11 UTC