March 17

STRINGENT measures have been adopted in China to contain the latest COVID-19 rebound, with closed management and massive nucleic acid testing rolled out.

On Monday, the Chinese mainland reported 3,507 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, of which 3,076 were reported in northeast China’s Jilin Province, said the National Health Commission at a press conference on Tuesday.

Jilin Province unveiled strict travel restrictions after it posted a steep jump in daily COVID-19 infections.

Inter-provincial and inter-city travel

It announced a temporary suspension on inter-provincial and inter-city travel starting from Monday, especially targeting residents in the cities of Changchun and Jilin, where most of the province’s local infections have been registered amid the fresh outbreak.

The cities of Changchun and Jilin have been placed under closed management, and local residents were asked not to leave home unless necessary.

As of Tuesday, five operational makeshift hospitals in Jilin Province coupled with seven vacated medical institutions can guarantee 22,880 beds.

Chen Jianlong, an asymptomatic carrier and student from Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, was admitted to a makeshift hospital in Changyi District of Jilin City on 11 March.

“I was very afraid at first, worrying about getting worse and also having concerns about the conditions in the hospital,” Chen said.

“However, I felt relieved after coming here. The patients are all treated well, and all the meals are provided. Though the temperature is relatively low these days, the stadium-transformed hospital is still quite warm,” Chen said.

Carrying out three rounds of mass testing

Shenzhen, China’s major tech hub bordering the country’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, asked its 17-million-plus residents on Monday to work from home if they can, while the city is carrying out three rounds of mass testing.

Residents are barred from leaving the city, the public transport services are suspended, and businesses, except those providing essential services, have been closed from Monday to 20 March.

“Shenzhen has been vigorously identifying imported cases while preventing domestic resurgence and adopted a dynamic zero-COVID approach, taking the most resolute, decisive, and comprehensive anti-epidemic measures,” said Huang Qiang, deputy secretary-general of the Shenzhen municipal government.

China’s aviation regulator said Tuesday that to alleviate Shanghai’s pressure in epidemic prevention and control, 106 international flights scheduled to arrive in Shanghai will be diverted to other Chinese cities from 21 March to 1 May. SOURCE: Xinhua