Tough anti-COVID measures stay in place

A citizen has her body temperature measured before entering a restaurant. DT News

Shenzhen will continue to adopt rigorous pandemic prevention and control measures throughout the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, which will begin Feb. 11, according to a press conference held by the Shenzhen Municipal Government Information Office at the Civic Center in Futian District on Thursday.

Currently, Shenzhen is a low-risk area and the pandemic situation is generally stable, Luo Lexuan, director of the city’s health commission, said at the conference.

Travelers from overseas and domestic high-risk areas, airports, ports, cold-chain warehouses, wet markets and schools are the targeted places for pandemic prevention and control in Shenzhen, said Luo.

As of Wednesday, Shenzhen had administered 716,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 689,700 citizens. The first vaccination shots for nine high-risk groups have basically been completed.

Shenzhen will strictly implement the “14+7” policy, which requires all travelers from overseas be isolated for a period of 14 days at hotels before being transferred to a seven-day community-administered isolation, according to Luo.

Meanwhile, all inbound travelers from overseas are required to take three nucleic acid tests on the first, seventh and 14th day, during their quarantine.

For those arrivals from the U.K. in recent days, four nucleic acid tests are needed on the first, fourth, seventh and 14th day.

Wang Shuifa, deputy head the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau, said at the conference that the winter vacation schedule and beginning of the spring semester for students of kindergartens, primary and junior high schools are planned according to the original school calendar without being advanced or delayed.

Shenzhen will also establish a temporary vegetable storage mechanism to ensure an abundant produce supply during the Spring Festival holiday, according to Huang Wensheng, deputy head of the city’s market supervision and regulation bureau.

The bureau calls for all wet markets, wholesale produce markets, supermarkets, stores, and food and beverage businesses to remain open during the holiday.

The city will also organize nearly 40 cultural activities for citizens to enjoy a fun-filled holiday, during which the service times of bus lines and Metro lines will be extended.

He Qun, deputy director of the city’s office of port entry and exit, said the city will continue to adopt strict measures for cross-border truck drivers entering Shenzhen.

Since the first confirmed COVID-19 case was discovered in Shenzhen last January, a total of 485 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported in the city as of 12 p.m. Wednesday.

ARTICLE FROM: EyeShenzhen