A bit of hysteria is setting into Beijing after officials said covid may have arrived in the mail.
Couriers have been ordered to disinfect mail and people are being ordered into testing after buying packages online:
“I just found my code had turned yellow, and I received a call saying I need to get tested three times in seven days to turn it back to green because I received an overseas package,” one Guangdong-based Weibo user said on Tuesday. “That’s the cigar I bought last month and it hasn’t been delivered yet.”
The apprehension about online shopping could add a further drag on the Chinese economy but the main risk is omicron lockdowns. Five more cases of local were found in Beijing today in two different districts. Health officials said all five new cases work in cold storage.
Overall, China reported 55 new local cases on Tuesday compared to 127 on Monday. Importantly, the cases in Tianjin have fallen considerably from 80 on Sunday to 18 Monday and 14 Tuesday, adding to hope that a lockdown can be avoided.
