Beijing avoids draconian COVID restrictions ahead of festive season

Beijing avoids draconian COVID restrictions ahead of festive season 8:00 AM BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinaࢀ™s capital Beijing on Thursday issued a series of coronavirus-related advisories ahead of the peak travel season from New Yearࢀ™s Day to the Chinese Lunar New Year in February, but it stopped short of imposing draconian restrictions. The city government appealed to residents to stay put in Beijing during the holiday season, emphasizing at a news conference that government officials and state-owned enterprise employees should take the lead. Beijing reported two new confirmed cases with symptoms of the novel coronavirus on Dec. 18, followed by reports…