BEIJING | A man in Beijing is under investigation for failing to comply with isolation rules, which led to the quarantine of thousands of residents, authorities announced, as the Chinese capital lifts anti-COVID restrictions. 19.

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The city, a time threatened with confinement, closed schools, non-essential businesses and public places at the beginning of the month after a resurgence of the epidemic. Residents of residences where positive cases have been recorded are confined.

Authorities said on Sunday that a Beijing man in his 40s broke anti-Covid rules by leaving his home. He is under investigation.

The man, who had gone to a shopping center with a “high risk” in terms of health, was supposed to go into solitary confinement.

Tested positive, his deviation led to the placement of 250 immediate neighbors in a quarantine center, while 5,000 other residents had to isolate themselves at home.

The city of Beijing has been on the edge since early May in the face of an epidemic outbreak that exceeds 1,700 cases of contamination, a high figure for China, which applies a strict zero Covid policy.

The relative improvement in health in recent days has allowed the resumption of a large part of transport in the city, while face-to-face work was again authorized on Monday in certain districts.

But screening tests of less than 48 hours are still required at the entrance to public places, in particular supermarkets.

The capital's parks were able to reopen at 50% capacity, including Ritan in central Beijing, where a handful of residents were enjoying tai chi on Monday.

“People are waiting to see whether or not there will be new (positive) cases before they come out in large numbers,” Zhi Ruo, an official who came for a walk with his five-year-old child, told AFP.

Schools are still closed, with no reopening date in sight.

In Shanghai, which has been completely confined since the beginning of April, several restrictions have been lifted in recent days thanks to a sharp drop in the number of positive cases.

The Ministry of Health announced 66 new cases in China's largest city on Monday -- up from more than 25,000 at the end of last month.

However, the population can generally only go out for a few hours a day at best.