Zhengzhou finds clear virus transmission chain

The COVID-19 infections detected at Zhengzhoudong railway station are related to the latest outbreak in Zhengzhou, Henan province, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Li Huifang, deputy secretary-general of the Zhengzhou municipal government, said the transmission chain of the coronavirus is basically clear.

The railway station infections were found to have been spread by passengers who came from outside the province, Li said at a news conference.

"The city now has a risk of further spread in the community, as the infected people have visited many public places and those infected come from all walks of life," Li said.

Zhengzhoudong railway station is a major railway transfer station in Central China.

Zhengzhou has reported a total of 161 cases, including 31 confirmed cases and 130 asymptomatic carriers, since March, the local health commission said on Tuesday.

To curb the spread of COVID-19 in the city and identify infected people, large-scale testing has begun in eight major districts of the city, Li said.

Zhengzhou authorities have urged local residents not to leave the city and outsiders not to come in unless absolutely necessary for a week beginning on Wednesday. Government employees and public servants are required to work at home. Parties and gatherings in major urban areas are strictly prohibited, authorities said.

The pandemic prevention and control situation is now grim and complex, but various departments in the city will go all out to block the further spread of COVID-19 to achieve the goal of clearing the community and protecting residents' lives and health, Li said.

Zhang Shidong, official with the Zhengzhou municipal health commission, said medical services to pregnant women, the elderly and the critically ill at the city's major hospitals and medical institutions will continue. That includes patients undergoing dialysis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.