Staff members check information of residents for nucleic acid test in Futian District of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, March 17, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
BEIJING / SHENZHEN – China's southern megacity of Shenzhen vowed to mobilize all resources to curb a slowly spreading COVID-19 outbreak, ordering strict implementation of testing and temperature checks and lockdowns for COVID-affected buildings.
Shenzhen, with a population of nearly 18 million, reported 22 new locally transmitted cases for Wednesday, with the daily count creeping up from single digits earlier this month.
The city has sealed residential compounds and buildings identified as being at higher risk. Officials have been told to make their virus measures more targeted to avoid unnecessary disruption to the economy.
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Shenzhen party chief Meng Fanli warned that the city government would sternly hold accountable officials responsible for any negligence that results in the virus spreading
Shenzhen party chief Meng Fanli said the city will mobilize all resources and adopt all measures to quickly eliminate the risk of a community spread in key areas, resolutely cut transmission chains, and contain the outbreak as quickly as possible.
In a statement published late on Wednesday, Meng also warned that the city government would sternly hold accountable officials responsible for any negligence that results in the virus spreading.
Out of Wednesday's 22 local infections reported in Shenzhen, 13 were found in Shenzhen's Nanshan district, home to tech giants Tencent and DJI.
In March, when caseloads started to increase from the low double-digits, Shenzhen adopted one week of so-called "slow living", during which residents underwent multiple rounds of testing and largely stayed at home, with one member of each household allowed out every few days for necessities.
Buses and subways in Shenzhen were shut and non-essential businesses were halted, while employees were told to work from home or from sealed campuses.
Including Shenzhen's cases, the Chinese mainland reported 826 new local COVID cases for July 20, of which 148 were symptomatic and 678 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.
Among the 148 symptomatic cases, 52 were reported in Guangxi and 49 in Gansu.
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In the northern port city of Tianjin, another two districts, with population totaling more than 1 million, suspended various entertainment venues, following similar COVID curbs announced on Monday in two districts with over 2 million residents.
A total of 69 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on Wednesday.
There were no new deaths, leaving the nation's fatalities at 5,226.
As of July 20, the Chinese mainland had confirmed 228,180 cases with symptoms – including both local ones and those among international travelers – since the pandemic first struck in December 2019.