China faces omicron test weeks ahead of Beijing Olympics

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Most access to a major city adjacent to Beijing was suspended Thursday as China tried to contain an outbreak of a highly contagious coronavirus variant. The omicron variant poses a test to China’s “zero-tolerance” COVID-19 policy and its ability to successfully host the Winter Olympics. Tianjin is one of a half-dozen cities where the government is imposing lockdowns and other restrictions as part of a policy that aims to track down every virus case. But the outbreak in a city so close to the Olympic host is particularly worrying. Tianjin is a port and manufacturing center with 14 million people.