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ChinaAfter more than a month at home after Covid-19 restrictions were eased in the capital, Chen Chunmei joined the crowd waiting to eat Beijing’s famous crayfish.
“I’m very excited, mainly because we’ve been locked down for so long,” Chen said as he waited in line for his turn to enjoy shrimp dishes at a popular restaurant in the Chinese capital on June 6.
“During the lockdown, I had to order food at home or cook my own meals every day. Now I really want to go to restaurants to eat,” the 28-year-old confided.
Diners at a crayfish restaurant in Beijing on June 6. picture: AFP
Last month, the city of 22 million banned people from eating and drinking in restaurants, closed gyms and blocked dozens of subway stations to quell the Covid-19 outbreak. Lockdown orders are being gradually lifted, including a ban on dining in restaurants.
At its peak, Beijing recorded dozens of Covid-19 cases every day. Chen said her apartment building was locked down for two weeks before she was allowed out, but the nearest subway station remained closed.
“I’ve been staying at home since then,” Chen said. “At first, I found working from home to be fine too, but over time I started to get bored.”
City officials allowed people to go straight back to work starting this week, while schools remained closed until June 13 as the number of new infections began to dwindle. Two new cases of asymptomatic infection were reported in Beijing on June 7.
Universal Beijing announced its reopening on June 15, while movie theaters and fitness centers were allowed to operate at 75% capacity starting this week. Diners can also dine in restaurants, although restrictions remain in place in both regions as Covid-19 cases continue to be recorded.
Chinese officials are still sticking to a “no epidemic” policy, trying to zero cases through lockdown orders and mass testing and tracing. Businesses in Beijing say revenue has plummeted due to the lockdown.
“Our sales in May were down 65 percent year-on-year,” said Zhang Shengtao, manager of the Beijing Huda restaurant chain. He said income for nearly 800 employees fell 30% last month.
Some were relieved that the government finally eased restrictions on dining in restaurants starting June 6.
“I really hope restaurants are allowed to reopen,” said Wu Ziwen, manager of the Nanjing Dapai restaurant chain. “We are definitely losing money,” he said.
Wu added that the restaurant survived the lockdown thanks to its home delivery service. When restrictions are eased, restaurants will only be able to operate to 50% of their capacity, even as customers flock to them.
People wait in front of a restaurant in Beijing on June 6. picture: AFP
Beijing requires people to submit negative Covid-19 test results within three days if they want to use public transport or enter or leave office buildings.
The outbreak in the capital has also prevented tourists like Sun Tao, 33, from returning to his hometown in Shanxi. After a long stay in Beijing, he went to a restaurant to relax a little, but he was still worried about the risk of another outbreak.
“I felt a lot of pressure and was always vigilant,” said Sun, who left the hotel with his wife on the evening of June 6 and waited for a table outside the shrimp restaurant. “But I also want my taste buds to be satisfied again.”
Hong Han (follow AFP)
