Beijing Tests Shoppers Who Buy Fever Drugs to Root Out Covid

(Bloomberg) — China’s capital is requiring anyone who buys commonly available anti-fever medicine to undergo Covid-19 testing as authorities try to root out undetected infections without locking down the country’s most important city and host of next week’s Winter Olympics.

Beijing residents who purchase antipyretics, antivirals and drugs that target coughs and sore throats will get an alert on the mobile app China uses for contact tracing, which is frequently checked to allow entry to public venues. The buyer will then need to take a Covid test within 72 hours or face movement restrictions, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said Sunday.