Beijing closes dozens of subway stations as Covid controls tighten

Beijing closed dozens of subway stations on Wednesday as Covid restrictions constrict movement around the Chinese capital despite it recording only dozens of cases daily.

China has been battling its worst coronavirus flare-up since the early days of the pandemic, with most cases found in the business hub of Shanghai.

Scenes of chaos and anger at weeks of stay-at-home orders in Shanghai have alarmed people in the capital who fear their city may be next.

On Wednesday Beijing reported just 51 local infections, five of them asymptomatic, while Shanghai reported nearly 5,000 -- part of a downward trend as Shanghai loosens some restrictions.

Some Beijing housing compounds where infections have been reported have already been locked down, while many tourist sites tightened rules for the busy May holiday this week. Dining-in at restaurants has also been banned.

Beijingers have started stocking up on essentials over worries they could suddenly be ordered to stay at home.

The China World Trade Centre -- an office and shopping complex -- has been temporarily closed this week.

The city's subway operator announced the closure of about 40 stations Wednesday -- around 12 percent of the network -- many of them near locked down areas, according to an announcement on its WeChat page.

"The entrances and exits of stations will be closed... but transfers can be done within the stations," the notice said.

"I think the city is already in a semi-closed state," said one Beijing resident in a sealed compound who declined to be identified.