BEIJING (Agencies): Authorities in Beijing, China ordered the closure of all churches as the capital struggles to contain a fresh outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), with most new cases linked to the Xinfadi wholesale food market, UCAN reported.
City officials announced a partial lockdown on June 16, saying that high- and medium-risk areas of the city would be immediately closed off and visitors would not be allowed, according to the SCMP.
Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing, together with Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, had announced the reopening of churches on June 10, but reversed course in a June 12 circular as the virus situation worsened, the UCAN report said.
From June 13 onwards, “all parishes and Mass sites in the city will continue to be closed and all worship programmes and religious activities stand suspended,” the circular said.
Official reports said 36 new cases were added on June 15, while 106 cases have been confirmed since June 11, prompting a huge trace-and-test programme. Tens of thousands of Beijing residents have been tested.
The pandemic was thought to have been contained in the city of 21 million people after Covid-19 first appeared last December in Wuhan and spread across the world.
Civil officials in neighbouring Tianjin, issued an emergency notice on June 13 closing down religious places and suspending religious activities.
The Diocese of Tianjin had originally planned to resume religious activities on June 15.
Paul Lee, who is from Beijing, told UCAN that he was expecting to attend Mass after more than two months and was disappointed that the fresh outbreak compelled the closure of churches.
Philip, also from Beijing, was upset that authorities did not allow churches to function when there practically no cases of infections between March and April.
He suspects the communist regime of deliberately keeping churches shut, as tourist attractions were open to the public in May.
“We were allowed to open churches in June. Now the epidemic is back and churches are closed again. When will we have our worship as a community?” he asked.
He said people are prepared to face the pandemic. They are buying more masks and hand sanitiser and maintaining social distancing.
Peter, who is from Tianjin, wondered, “There are cases of Covid-19 in Beijing, so why should places of worship in Tianjin have to close again?”
Several other cities, including Tangshan in Hebei province, Rizhao in Shandong province, Chifeng in Inner Mongolia, and Tianjin have suspended long-haul bus services to and from Beijing, SCMP reported on June 16.
Citing Beijing Evening News, the SCMP also reported that bus services between Beijing Capital International Airport and other cities were also suspended, with Daxing airport in the south of the capital maintaining the only bus service to Baoding, in Hebei.
