Zhuhai tightens anti-COVID measures

Zhuhai in Guangdong province has tightened its COVID-19 prevention and control measures to contain the spread of the virus in its Xianghou district, where a cluster outbreak involving a local kindergarten was reported earlier this week.

According to a statement released by the city's anti-COVID-19 headquarters, people are required to show a negative result from a nucleic acid test done in 24 hours when they enter local public venues and housing estates in the district starting at 6 am on Friday.

All restaurants in the district will offer only takeout services, while all scenic spots in the district have been temporarily closed.

Local residents are being asked to go out less and avoid gatherings. Car-hailing and public bus services have been suspended in Xiangzhou, the statement said.

The new measures will be implemented for three days starting on Friday, the statement said.

Meanwhile a districtwide testing campaign was launched on Friday to identify people infected with COVID-19, including asymptomatic carriers, it said.

According to the Zhuhai health commission, the city, which is located at the mouth of the Pearl River, reported nine locally transmitted confirmed cases, plus 29 asymptomatic carriers, on Thursday, pushing the city's total to 189 in this round of the outbreak, which began on Monday.

Huang Yun, deputy director-general of the Zhuhai city government, earlier this week said the COVID-19 infections detected in Zhuhai were all part of the same transmission chain, and all were related to the cluster outbreak involving a kindergarten in the district.

Gene sequencing indicated that all the infection were by the Omicron BA.5.1 subvariant, it said.