Guangzhou steps up virus fight

Fu Xiaochu, executive deputy head of Haizhu, said the district has set up 33 medical security points and has offered medical services 39,482 times so far.

Medical workers and volunteers have established files for pregnant women in the district and are ready to provide medical services when needed, Fu said.

In Zhengzhou, Henan province, the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone — where Foxconn's Apple iPhone assembly plant is located — ended seven days of static management on Wednesday to resume production.

Communities in low-risk areas and where all residents have tested negative since Nov 2 can return to normal, according to a notice released by the local COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters on Wednesday.

Residents can travel with a negative nucleic acid test result obtained within 24 hours and a green health code, but they should not leave the zone unless absolutely necessary.

Dine-in services have not restarted, but restaurants can offer takeout services, the notice said.

Schools and training institutions should continue to provide online teaching. Confined spaces such as gyms, pools, cinemas and chess and card rooms are not open. Group gatherings are suspended.

Businesses that provide basic daily needs such as supermarkets, fresh markets, pharmacies and barber shops can resume operating, it said.

The Apple iPhone assembly plant, the world's largest, released a recruitment advertisement on Monday, saying that new employees are needed until Feb 15 next year. It said the pay would be 30 yuan ($4.10) per hour.

Many of the plant's workers had returned home because of the outbreak, which posed challenges to production.

To encourage people to come back, it said those who resigned from Oct 10 to Nov 5 can be given a subsidy of 500 yuan if they are willing to rejoin the company.

Human resources departments in several regions in Henan are assisting the plant in recruiting employees. Registration is currently open for people who want to work there, Chinese news outlet Cls.cn reported on Tuesday. Local authorities will provide transportation, it said.

Zhengzhou reported 159 new locally transmitted confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 884 asymptomatic carriers.