Beijing reported four new positive COVID-19 cases on Tuesday who are from the same family living in Tiantongyuan, an enormous neighborhood in Beijing's Changping district reputed to be the largest residential area in Asia.
Their confirmation led the community where they live to be labeled as medium-risk region for the epidemic. Some 142,700 residents living in the community and neighboring streets were given nucleic acid tests starting on Tuesday morning. The mass test is likely to be completed on the same day.
Businesses near the community were required to suspend operations. Cinemas and amusement parks in the district were also closed.
The confirmation of the four family members led to the closure of two schools in Chaoyang district on Monday night. Students at the two schools were given nucleic acid tests and quarantined on Monday night.
The mother of the family that had a positive case worked at the Huajiadi primary school in the district and used to visit Chenjinglun Middle School to pick her boy from school every day.
Huajiadi primary school has 1,370 students and teachers but classes were off when the emergency test was rolled. Tests on 596 people who were at school on Monday came back negative and the results on 2,814 people will be released later. Results on 1,329 students and teachers at Chenjinglun Middle School also came back negative.
Another 16 schools in Chaoyang district also suspended classes in the wake of the outbreak.
