China moves to stem Covid-19 outbreak in Beijing

Authorities in the Chinese capital ordered all schools to close again in a bid to stem an outbreak which could, potentially, jeopardise efforts nationwide to reopen the economy.

The next three days would be critical in snuffing out the outbreak, the chief epidemiologist of China's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the night before.

Newly infected residents should start displaying symptoms over the next two days roughly, so if cases were not surging by then, then the situation should have stabilised, he reportedly said.

Yet on Tuesday, Beijing increased its emergency alert to its second level.

Among the measures taken to contain the outbreak, all residents were barred from leaving the city without first being tested, but free movement had only been restricted in areas where the 106 new cases thus far had been detected.

Taxis were no longer allowed to leave Beijing and buses from some cities had also been stopped, although other means of transport remained open.

Commenting on the latest news out of China, IG analyst Josh Mahony said: "This swift response from China highlights the different approach from the world’s two largest nations, with Trump even suggesting that they should stop testing to reduce the daily Covid count."