The Chinese capital Beijing has kicked off mass testing for millions of residents after a spike in COVID cases.

The Chaoyang district reported 26 cases over the weekend, the highest number so far in Beijing’s latest surge.

Long queues outside supermarkets and shops were seen despite government assurance of a sufficient food supply.

It comes amid fears that Beijing could face a similar situation to Shanghai, which has seen some 25 million people shut in their homes for weeks.

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All 3.5 million residents in the city’s largest Chaoyang district will undergo three rounds of mass testing, according to a notice by the city’s disease prevention team.

The latest outbreak in Shanghai, first detected in late march, has seen more than 400,000 cases recorded so far and 138 deaths.

Some of the measures Chinese authorities have enforced include placing electronic door alarms to prevent those infected from leaving and forcibly evacuating people from their homes to carry out disinfection procedures.

Some in locked-down areas of Shanghai say they have been struggling to access food supplies, and forced to wait for government drop-offs of vegetables, meat and eggs.

green barricades have also been erected overnight in parts of Shanghai without prior warning, effectively preventing residents from leaving their homes.

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