Beijing reported three new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases as of 3 pm on Thursday, all from mass nucleic acid testing at community level, according to Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, who spoke at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

The three cases are from three different districts – Xicheng, Fengtai and Chaoyang, he added.

The new case count brings the total number of infections to 1,834 since April 22.

"A new cluster involving several bars in the city was found during the nucleic acid testing and the epidemiological investigation is being conducted," he said.

In addition to the three confirmed cases, several people in Changping, Chaoyang and Huairou districts tested positive on Thursday. Many had been to a bar in the Sanlitun area of Chaoyang district, according to the authority.