Beijing on Friday reported 21 COVID-19 cases and 10 asymptomatic ones, most of which are linked to a bar in Sanlitun of Chaoyang district, and city officials are continuing to screen for further possible infections. 

The latest resurgence in Beijing linked to infections from the Paradise Supermarket bar, where as of press time the infection chain has resulted in 29 confirmed cases from 12 districts in Beijing. Liu Xiaofeng, deputy head of the Beijing municipal centers for disease prevention and control, outlined at a press conference on Friday that the bar has been a popular location with all kind of visitors, and it has not fully register all visitors, which added difficulties for contact tracing.  

It is highly possible to report more positive nucleic acid results among visitors and close contacts, officials told the press conference, noting there is high risk of further community transmission.  

All the employees of the bar are in isolation. As of the press time, 4,402 close contacts with infections from the bar have been found. 

Chaoyang district in Beijing, the epicenter of the latest flare-up in the capital city, ordered all entertainment venues, fitness venues, and training institutions in basements to suspend operations from Thursday afternoon.

Soon after the cluster infection was reported, Party chief of Beijing Cai Qi, who leads the city's anti-epidemic work, stressed at a meeting on Thursday that the city will carry out epidemic prevention inspections of bars, KTVs, internet cafes and other locations, and suspend the operation of facilities where prevention and control measures are not fully implemented or ventilation does not meet guidelines.