Beijing introduces vaccine requirements

Islam News – China’s capital city, Beijing, will require people to be vaccinated in order to enter libraries, museums and other public gathering places, a shift from the country’s longstanding strategy of containing the coronavirus with lockdowns.

The announcement, which comes months after many other countries introduced similar restrictions, reflects efforts by Chinese health officials to vaccinate a larger share of the population. If successful, experts say, China could begin to reopen to the world and ease concerns about the country’s slowing economy.

Vaccination of older Chinese people has lagged behind that of other age groups in part because of skepticism toward the safety of China’s domestically developed vaccines. The country has not approved any foreign-made shots.

Data: As of early May, 82 percent of those over age 60 had received two shots, compared with 89 percent in the general population. Just 51 percent of those over 80 had received two shots in March.