People queue for a swab test to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus near the entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing on May 1, 2022. Photo: CFP

Beijing has tightened anti-epidemic measures in public spaces after the Labor Day holidays, including closing some stations along 158 bus routes and 13 subway lines and forbidding two people from using one public toilet at the same time. 

Two hospitals also suspended their outpatient, emergency departments and admissions.

The restriction came after more than 400 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beijing. A toilet infection chain notably drew public attention where one person infected nearly 40 other people after using three different toilets on Tuesday. Beijing thus strengthened toilet disinfection citywide, requiring toilets in lockdown areas to be disinfected every time after the usage and banning two people from using facilities at the same time.

According to Beijing Public Transport Corporation, 158 bus routes running within Chaoyang district, where many of the COVID-19 cases were detected, will be adjusted from Wednesday. While 63 routes will be fully shut down, buses in the other routes will either skip some stops or only run along certain areas in the lines. 

Beijing Subway also announced to close entrance and exit at more than 40 subway stations along 13 lines from Wednesday with most of the stations belonging to Chaoyang. Passengers can still change lines within the interchange stations which are put under suspension.

Beijing Shijingshan Hospital in Shijingshan district and Miyun Campus of Peking University First Hospital in Miyun district announced on Wednesday morning that they would suspend their outpatient, emergency departments and admissions from Wednesday, but left the outpatient clinic open for dialysis patients. 

From Thursday, people entering public places or using public transportation will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result from the previous seven days. Those back to work or schools will have to show a negative result from the previous 48 hours. 

The city has started three rounds of nucleic acid screening from Tuesday to Thursday. According to the national health commission, Beijing has reported 46 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and five asymptomatic cases on Tuesday. The city has reported a total of 453 COVID-19 cases from April 22 to 3 pm on May 3.

Global Times