Expert: virus threat in Guangzhou not over

A senior health official from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, warned that the COVID-19 outbreak in the city has not ended, and a risk of infection still exists.

Chen Bin, deputy director of Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission, made the remarks at a news conference in Guangzhou on Friday after the southern metropolis reported confirmation of nine new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

The patients detected in the city on Thursday pushed the registered count up to 128 locally transmitted cases, including 121 confirmed cases and seven asymptomatic carriers in this round of the outbreak, she said.

"All the new patients detected on Thursday were diagnosed in the Baihedong subdistrict in the city's Liwan district," Chen said.

Chen urged residents to continue to strictly observe the policies and measures, and try to reduce outside city tours during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holidays from Saturday to Monday.

Wei Min, deputy director of the Guangzhou City Bureau of Commerce, said his bureau has organized efficient food, meat, aquatic products, eggs and related festival products to ensure sufficient supplies in markets during the festival period. Prices of festival products will be kept stable, he said.

Meanwhile, the time-honored Guangzhou Restaurant and other major restaurants and hotels in the city have prepared enough take-out set meals to meet demand from local residents during the festival, when most of the restaurants in the city have suspended on-site dining service to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Wei added.

Shen Ying, deputy director of Guangzhou municipal transportation bureau, said the city has set up more than 80 inspection centers in the city's cross-province expressways, ports and main roads to block those drivers or passengers from leaving the city during the festival who cannot present negative results of nucleic acid tests taken within 48 hours, along with green health codes.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou has suspended all bus services linking the city to places outside Guangdong.

The move aims to prevent the coronavirus from spreading outside the city, she said.