Anhui tackles new outbreak of COVID-19

Authorities say situation manageable as eastern province reports more cases

East China's Anhui province reported 61 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday, according to provincial health commission data released Sunday morning.

Of the new cases, 60 were reported in the northern county of Sixian, which is governed by the city of Suzhou.

The province reported 231 asymptomatic cases on Saturday, with 228 from Sixian. From June 26 through Saturday, Anhui reported 105 locally transmitted cases and 467 local asymptomatic cases.

A team of experts from the National Health Commission has arrived in Sixian to handle the outbreak, according to a news conference held by Suzhou's epidemic prevention and control headquarters on Friday night.

The commission said the latest outbreak in Sixian was generally controllable, and the authorities have been making comprehensive efforts to stop the virus from further spreading to other areas, according to China Central Television.

The county began conducting a sixth round of mass nucleic acid testing on Sunday morning.

The new infections emerged in the inland county on June 26, while the source of the outbreak remains unclear, according to local health commission.

Meng Tao, a supermarket owner from Sixian, has had to remain in her supermarket since June 26. Together with 94 colleagues, she said they have tried to provide living materials to quarantined communities.

"My business includes seven stores across the county. I decided to close six of them and send the workers to this one, so that we can work more effectively and safely," Meng said.

The Chinese mainland reported 75 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday－61 in Anhui, six in Shandong province, three in Jiangsu province, another three in Shaanxi province and two in Shanghai, according to the National Health Commission on Sunday.

In Shandong, all cases were reported in the Huangdao district of Qingdao. The outbreak started on Thursday, and all infections were workers at a warehouse for imported cold-chain commodities, local officials said.

"The district is carrying out supervision and inspection on cold-chain enterprises and will suspend operations of those enterprises that fail to abide by epidemic prevention measures and completely rectify any possible risks," Zhang Leina, deputy head of Huangdao, said at a news conference on Sunday.

More than 1.8 million people across the district took nucleic acid tests on Saturday, with all the results coming back negative except for the reported infections.

Huangdao is a popular tourist destination in summer, said Dong Huafeng, director of the district's culture and tourism bureau. He added that the local tourism sector is functioning normally, with all required epidemic prevention measures being implemented.