Beijing tightens COVID controls as cases rise

STORY: China’s capital reported 962 new infections, up from 621 a day earlier. Its sprawling Chaoyang district, home to 3.5 million people, is the worst hit area in the fresh COVID wave.

People had been advised by local government to stay put during the weekend and on Monday, with numerous restaurants, gyms, beauty salons and other facilities closed.

China's recent efforts to make its COVID-19 curbs more targeted have sparked investor hopes of a more significant easing even as China faces its first winter battling the highly transmissible Omicron variant.