News
Beijing expands COVID-19 daily testing capacity to 90,000 to contain new infections
Beijing is conducting extensive COVID-19 screening, with its daily testing capacity reaching over 90,000 samples, as the Chinese capital works to stem new indigenous cases that have emerged in the past few days.
The city reported 79 confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases from June 11 to 14, most of which were related to the now-closed Xinfadi market, a large wholesale market of fruit, vegetable, and meat in Beijing’s Fengtai District, according to the local health commission. The city has conducted tests on people in contact with the market as well as in nearby communities, and strengthened control measures in efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
Beijing has expanded the number of nucleic acid testing institutions to 98 with the capacity to test over 90,000 samples daily, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said at a press conference on Monday.
Compared with around a month ago, the number of testing institutions increased by 31 while the testing capacity increased by 42,000 samples, according to statistics given by the commission. On Sunday, the city conducted nucleic acid tests on 76,499 people, with 59 testing positive for COVID-19, according to the press conference.
As of 6am on Monday, 193 sampling sites had been set up across Beijing to facilitate nucleic acid testings, said Gao Xiaojun, spokesperson for the municipal health commission.
More than 8,000 dealers and workers at the Xinfadi market have received nucleic acid tests as of early Sunday and been put under medical observation, Xu Ying, an official with the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, told the press conference on Monday.
About 200,000 people who had visited the market since May 30 were interviewed via door-to-door inquiries, calls, social media platforms and other methods. Nucleic acid tests for these people are underway while they are asked to stay at home for medical observation, Xu added.
Beijing has required medical institutions across the city, especially 79 institutions with fever clinics, to conduct nucleic acid and antibody tests on all fever patients and strengthen epidemiological investigation.
Apart from the testing, Beijing authorities have further tightened control measures on more communities.
Nearly 100,000 workers in 7,120 residential communities and villages have thrown themselves into the battle against the disease, Xu said. -Xinhua
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
