Guangzhou lowers some risk levels as case counts drop

Risk levels for some areas in Haizhu district of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, have been reduced as the number of new COVID-19 infections have decreased significantly there according to a local health official.

Specifically, two high-risk areas in Haizhu, the hardest-hit district in the latest COVID-19 outbreak in the city, were adjusted to medium-risk and one medium-risk area was reduced to low-risk. Eight areas under temporary closed-loop management have been unlocked according to Zhang Yi, spokeswoman of the Guangzhou Health Commission.

However, the city was still contending with a severe and complex situation in prevention and control against the pandemic, Zhang said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

On Tuesday alone, the city reported 73 new locally transmitted confirmed cases and 253 asymptomatic carriers, most of which were found in quarantined and high-and medium-risk areas.

Of the infections, only four were found during nucleic acid tests in communities.

In Haizhu, most of the new infections on Tuesday were found in the Kanglu area of Fengyang subdistrict, which covers an area of about 1 square kilometer with a permanent population of more than 100,000.

There are more than 5,200 garment factories and storage businesses within Kanglu, most of which are engaged in the labor-intensive textile and garment accessory industries.

"We are in a tough stage to prevent and control the pandemic in the Kanglu area," Zhang said.

Moreover, there were also infections caused by local gatherings in some subdistricts in the city's Baiyun district, showing the risk of community spread still exists.