Submit your Article

China's capital Beijing tightened Covid restrictions on Sunday as it battled an outbreak, while Shanghai let some of its 25 million residents venture out for light and air after reporting a second day of zero infections outside of quarantine areas, Reuters reported.

Shanghai's outbreak, which began in March, has been China's worst since the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Hundreds of thousands have been infected and the city has forbidden residents from leaving their homes, to great public anger.

The outbreak in China's most populous city and the risk of a spread in Beijing are testing the government's zero-Covid approach in a year when Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term as president.

Beijing, with dozens of daily infections in an outbreak now in its 10th day, has not locked down. More than 300 locally transmitted cases have been logged since April 22.

But on Sunday the capital tightened social distancing rules and launched a fresh round of mass testing in its most populous and worst-hit district.

The city of 22 million has in the past week conducted mass testing in most of its 16 districts, suspended all entertainment venues and banned restaurant dining, according to Reuters.

"The impact of all this on us is too great - 20,000 yuan ($3,000) in a day gone, just like that!" said Jia, a manager at a normally popular burger restaurant in the east of Beijing.

"Our boss is stressing out about this too," Jia said, asking to be identified only by his surname. "We have three branches in Shanghai. They've all been shut and losing cash for a month. And now this."

Beijing's sprawling Universal Studios theme park closed on Sunday, while in the highly visited Badaling section of the Great Wall, visitors were told to show proof of negative Covid test results before entering.

Chaoyang district, accounting for the biggest share of infections in Beijing's outbreak, launched an additional round of mass testing, with public health workers knocking on doors to remind residents to get tested.

"I do the PCR test everyday and I know I am not sick," said a Chaoyang resident surnamed Ma, whose local health app on her mobile phone had marked her profile as abnormal, Reuters reported.

"I feel caged, like I am sick. These restrictions are too excessive," said Ma, who works in finance.

Anger in Shanghai

Shanghai's citywide lockdown since early April has upended the daily lives of its residents, sparking worries about food and concern about being taken to crowded quarantine centres should they catch the virus.

Extreme measures taken to seal up residential compounds, including fencing up entrances of buildings, have prompted outrage.

Some residents have turned to social media to vent their frustration, some clanged pots and pans outside their windows, and others clashed with public health workers.

The song "Do you hear the people sing?" from the musical Les Miserables has become a popular protest anthem. On Saturday, an online video of a Chinese orchestra playing the song, with the musicians performing from their respective homes, went viral with nearly 19,000 shares before it was blocked, according to Reuters.

While much of the city remains in lockdown, Shanghai officials, striking a confident tone, said on Sunday that curbs on some areas would be eased after the city reined in Covid transmission risks at the community level, excluding cases in quarantine centres.

Six of its 16 districts attained zero-Covid status, meaning three consecutive days with no new daily increases in infections, senior city government official Gu Honghui told a virtual news conference.

Public transport will be allowed to resume in five districts, but residents must remain in their districts as they visit supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals, a health official told the news conference, according to Reuters.

A man died when a truck hit a motorbike he was riding on at Kanepokhari in Morang on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as bike rider Rupak Shrestha (29) of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-16.

Morang traffic police Inspector Raj Kumar Karki said that the truck (Na 3 Kha 676) heading towards west from east hit the motorbike (Province 1-02-049 Pa 8971) coming from the opposite direction at Kanepokhari Rural Municipality-7 of Morng along the East-West Highway.

Critically injured in the incident, Shrestha was taken to the Neuro Hospital of Biratnagar but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival at around 8:30 pm.

Inspector Karki said that the fatal incident might have occurred because of over speeding. 

Police said that they have impounded the truck and arrested its driver Rabin Kumar Rai (44) of Khotang. 

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

Newly appointed Inspector General of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were conferred insignia on Monday.

Nepal Police IG Dhiraj Pratap Singh and Armed Police Force IG Raju Aryal were conferred with the insignia by Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey at Singha Durbar amidst a program this morning.

Singh and Aryal were promoted to the top post of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force as their predecessors Shailesh Thapa Kshetri and Pushpa Ram KC respectively retired on Sunday after completing 30 years in the service.

Nepal Police Inspector General Dhiraj Pratap Singh

Armed Police Force Inspector General Raju Aryal

Annapurna Media Network Chairman Captain Rameshwar Thapa said that all should protect the sentiment of nation and nationality.

He said so while celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Annapurna Post, the flagship publication of Annapurna Media Network, at the meeting hall of the Annapurna Corporate Tower in Tinkune on Sunday.

"We have a good relationship with everyone. But we cannot be slaves to anyone. We cannot remain silent if anyone raises questions on the issue of nationality," he said.

"National and international issues we have raised are clear to all and everyone is praising the works," Captain Thapa said.

He claimed that the Annapurna Post was the only national daily which had published the facts about the historically established "chuchhe map" (new political map) of Nepal.

"The work was very challenging. Many newspapers tried but in vain. We became successful because of our constant efforts," he said.

On the occasion, Editor Akhanda Bhandari said that the Annapurna Post is the mirror of society.

"Journalism is the mirror of society. We are showing the mirror the Annapurna Post," he said.

He further said that the Annapurna Post is the voice of voiceless people.

Similarly, Annapurna Media Network Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sanat Neupane said that courage and decency needed in journalism. 

"We have both of them. We have been working without caring about the fear and threats of anyone," he said. 

The Nepali daily has been in publication continuously since May 03, 2002.