Staff members check a sample for nucleic acid test at the laboratory of KingMed Diagnostics, a Chinese medical diagnostic testing company in Beijing, capital of China. File Photo: Xinhua

Beijing has reported one COVID-19 case in the city's southeastern district of Tongzhou on Sunday, two weeks after the Chinese capital was cleared of all locally transmitted cases. The new infection was imported from Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, which suffered a new wave of cases in recent days. 

The patient is a student at an art studio in Tongzhou district, local health officials announced on Sunday. The student arrived in Beijing from Xi'an on Tuesday and had already received nucleic acid test before entering the city, the studio later announced. 

However, it has not been clarified whether the positive result came from the test was taken before or after entering Beijing . 

The epidemic prevention and control team has arrived at the scene and is carrying out one-on-one nucleic acid tests to all personnel at the art studio, Beijing News Radio reported. The result is expected to be issued in a few hours. 

The area in Tongzhou district where the art studio is located is currently undergoing COVID-19 screening for all residents, media reported. 

The close and secondary contacts detected have been put under centralized quarantine.

The art studio has been in a "semi-closed-loop management" and therefore had limited personnel flows, the report said on Sunday. 

Xi'an has reported a total of 30 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since the latest flareup of the virus hit the city on December 9, according to the provincial health commission. 

In efforts to curb the spread, Shaanxi has rolled out measures on transportation and urged local residents not to leave the city unless necessary. Authorities also announced a city-wide nucleic acid testing on Sunday. 

With less than 50 days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China's Beijing Municipal Committee, urged residents of the city to have zero infections to ensure the success of the Games.

According to Cai, the mobility of people should be reduced and gatherings should be minimized. Large-scale performances, exhibitions and sales promotions, sports events and other gatherings should be strictly restricted and online group activities are encouraged instead.