Beijing asks residents to work from home

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, residents in Beijing's Chaoyang district and people in other areas affected by public transportation adjustments should work from home starting on Thursday, the first workday after the May Day holiday. The announcement was made by a senior official on Wednesday.

"Those who have to go to workplaces should go by private car and only travel between home and work," said Xu Hejian, spokesperson of the municipal government at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Chaoyang district is the hardest-hit area in Beijing during the latest outbreak, reporting a total 201 cases as of 3 pm on Wednesday.

Starting on Wednesday, 63 bus lines have stopped operation and 48 have changed routes to avoid infection risk in locked down and controlled zones in Chaoyang district. Up to 389 bus stops would be affected, according to Rong Jun, spokesperson of Beijing's transport commission.

Previously, dozens of bus lines in Fangshan district and Tongzhou district made adjustments to reduce infection risk.

In addition to two subway stations, which had previously closed -- one in Chaoyang and one in Tongzhou -- another 62 subway stations on 14 subway lines have closed starting Wednesday. Passengers cannot enter or exit from those stations but still can transfer inside.

To serve residents who need to go to the hospital or have other special needs, the authority has organized taxi teams for emergency use.

Contact the writer at dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn