Thousands quarantined after 2 infections found

A university reported two cases of COVID-19 in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and authorities are stepping up measures to control outbreaks.

The first case was reported at Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo's Yinzhou district at midday on Tuesday, local authorities said. The patient is a senior student who lives on the school's Qianhu campus and is doing an internship at Ningbo Sousun Network Technology Co.

Later on Tuesday, another student, who had close contact with the first, was reported. That student is doing an internship at Ningbo Shanhaibo Information Technology Co.

The 324 students who lived in the same dormitory building with the confirmed cases were transferred on Tuesday afternoon to quarantine sites, local media reported.

Considering the infection involved a highly transmissible variant, 3,366 people of Zhejiang Wanli University, including 3,187 students, 179 teachers and their families, were quarantined in a closed-loop system early on Wednesday.

A staff member at Ningbo University also tested positive for the virus during a residential community's routine testing, but that person had not been on campus since Saturday.

The university switched to online instruction on Monday and asked all students to stay in their dorms. The university restaurant began distributing meals to students and teachers on campus on Tuesday.

Fang Xiaoying in Hangzhou contributed to this story.