China said 275 new coronavirus cases were discovered on Saturday, up from 210 new cases a day earlier, as Beijing officials grappled with an outbreak centred on a popular bar and Shanghai underwent a weekend of mass testing.
Beijing reported 65 new local cases, compared with 61 a day earlier, according to the local government.
Officials said mass testing would be carried out from Monday to Wednesday in Chaoyang district, the capital’s core commercial and nightlife district that is home to at least 3.5 million people.
Authorities said that all 61 new coronavirus cases discovered in the city on Friday had either visited the Heaven Supermarket Bar in Chaoyang or had links to it.
“The recent outbreak … is strongly explosive in nature and widespread in scope,” Xu Hejian of the Beijing municipal government told a news briefing.
Shanghai reported 29 new local coronavirus cases, compared with 16 a day earlier.
Hong Kong was investigating 851 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, with infection numbers at their highest since mid-April.
Although cases are rising and the Hong Kong government fears a sixth wave of coronavirus, outgoing leader Carrie Lam warned that further delays in reopening the city to visitors would put its status as an international financial hub at risk.
- Reuters, with additional editing by George Russell
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