Beijing says COVID-19 situation ‘controllable,’ ‘safe’

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing has reported three new COVID-19 cases as officials say the virus situation is under control with the Olympic Games set to open later in the week. The three new cases reported Wednesday all involved people under some sort of quarantine. Beijing government spokesman Xu Hejian said that “the current pandemic situation in the capital is overall controllable, and it’s headed in a good direction. Beijing is safe.” Since Jan. 15, Beijing has reported a total of 115 locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, including six cases of the highly contagious omicron variant. In response, the city has mass tested millions and sealed off several neighborhoods in different parts of the city but avoided a strict lockdown for the entire capital.