Beijing to lower COVID-19 emergency response level

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Beijing will lower its emergency response to COVID-19 from level II to III starting from Monday, a top official announced on Sunday. The announcement was made by Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, at a press conference, reports Xinhua news agency.

The development comes as the Chinese capital has reported no new cases over the past 13 days.

However, some restrictions will remain in place.

A 50 per cent visitor capacity on museums, gyms, and libraries will remain.

Exhibitions, sports events, and other activities will gradually resume, the BBC quoted the Global Times newspaper as saying.

All overseas visitors will still need to quarantine and undergo medical observation along with tests.

Meanwhile, Xinjiang province recorded 13 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

On Saturday, one official in the provincial capital Urumqi told a state briefing: "The whole city has entered a 'wartime state', and will suspend all kinds of group activities."

The latest measures in the province include restrictions on visits to other households and large gatherings and mass screening in buildings where cases have been detected.

Residents have been urged not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary and must be tested if they do so.

The ongoing global coronavirus pandemic originated in China's Wuhan city last December.

So far, the Asian giant has recorded a total of 85,921 cases, with 4,653 deaths.