Universities in Beijing had already tightened COVID-19 prevention measures after campus-related clusters emerged in early September, with strict ‘no entry and no exit’ measures in place on some campuses and mass testing in many areas in the city after a COVID cluster emerged on the campus of the Communication University of China. Students said they would have to go through a special approval system, separate from the COVID-19 approval system already in place, if they want to leave the capital during October.Ĭhinese authorities have asked all cities, even those without an outbreak, to conduct regular mass testing until the end of October, as part of Xi’s Zero-COVID policy. This is part of measures to curb ‘imports’ of COVID on their return. Universities in the capital, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, announced that the seven-day October public holiday catering for the country’s National Day celebrations, which normally begin on 1 October and last a week, would be cut short by several days and new COVID-like restrictions imposed on students and staff who want to leave the city for that period. The Communist Party conclave is expected to extend Chinese President Xi Jinping’s leadership to a third term in office, and begin the process to revise the party constitution to allow him to become ‘leader for life’, thereby cementing his authority.Īcademics said the extra travel restrictions also related to COVID control measures in and around Beijing in advance of the party congress, as Xi seeks to tout the success of China’s ‘Zero-COVID’ measures in controlling the pandemic. These included staggered or late starts to the academic year in September due to COVID-19 outbreaks on campuses in Beijing.īeijing has tightened security in advance of the party congress, held every five years, which kicks off in the capital on 16 October.
Tweet At least a dozen universities in Beijing are cutting short an upcoming national holiday and discouraging student travel in advance of the key 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in mid-October, adding to disruptions caused by COVID-19 prevention measures in recent weeks.
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