Chengdu ordered the use of stricter anti-epidemic measures after four more confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, registering a total of six confirmed cases plus one asymptomatic case discovered this week in the provincial capital of Sichuan.
These measures include a campaign of mass testing, locking down parts of the city and restricting the opening of entertainment venues, officials said.
The four new confirmed cases had been in close contact with the two people confirmed to be infected on Monday. The latter were an elderly couple – a 69-year-old woman nicknamed Lu who was in serious condition and her 71-year-old husband – who live in Group No. 11 in Taiping, a village on the outskirts of Pidu District.
The five newly diagnosed patients were transported to the Chengdu Clinical Public Health Center for quarantine and treatment, the Chengdu Health Commission reported on Tuesday.
The source of the virus is under investigation, commission officials said.
Peng Qinghua, provincial Party secretary and leader of the group leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Sichuan, chaired a meeting on Tuesday in which officials were instructed to respond as if they were at war against disease due to the recent focus of infection.
As of Tuesday, 255,200 nucleic acid samples had been taken and 60,500 of them had been analyzed.
On Monday afternoon, Taiping was listed as a medium risk area, meaning its residents were not allowed to leave the village without showing negative test results.
According to the Pidu District Education Office, teachers and students in kindergartens and schools in the medium-risk area must all be tested for coronavirus and quarantined at home.
The district disinfected five areas: the district hospital, the No. 11 Group in Taiping, an agricultural wholesale market, a school and a residential area, said Liu Yinyong, head of the district government.
The Chengdu Entertainment Industry Association issued an emergency notice on Tuesday asking managers of public entertainment venues to ensure that the number of customers does not exceed 75% of total capacity.
Luan Rongsheng, professor of epidemiology at the West China Faculty of Health at Sichuan University, called the measures taken by the province precise and effective. The number of new cases is still relatively small and the situation is still controllable, making the possibility of large-scale spread very low, he said.
Sichuan plans to conduct the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in three stages: first people at high risk, then those at risk, and finally other people. Vaccination of the high-risk population is expected to be completed by the end of the year, covering over 2 million people. Vaccination of the population at risk is expected to start early next year. The third group is expected to be vaccinated after the Spring Festival, which is February 11-17, Luan said.
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