Beijing rejects lockdown rumors

Customers buy food at a restaurant in Chaoyang District, Beijing, May 12, 2022. (Photo/China News Service)

(ECNS) -- The Beijing municipal government has encouraged all residents to work from home on Friday and to stay at home during the coming weekend in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

This does not mean Beijing will be locked down.

"It is a rumor that Beijing will be locked down. Daily supplies in the city are sufficient and will not be affected," said Xu Hejian, a spokesman for the Beijing government, at a news conference on Thursday. 

He reminded the public to purchase rationally and ensured that delivery services will not be suspended. 

Forty-two confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and eight asymptomatic cases were reported in Beijing on Thursday, according to the official Wechat account of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.

A total of 928 confirmed cases were reported in Beijing from April 22 to May 12, involving 15 districts, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, at the press conference.