China will extend the carrying out of massive tests for the detection of covid-19 to cities where there are no cases of contagion, the health authorities of the Asian country announced today, quoted by the local press.
This measure has been imposed in recent months in the main cities of the country. In Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen, a negative test result, taken within the last 48 hours, is required to access public spaces, including parks, commercial spaces, or transportation.
It is also necessary to scan the QR code, a two-dimensional version of the barcode, placed at the entrance of all buildings, as well as on public transport or taxis.
On the streets of major cities there are thousands of places to conduct free PCR tests for residents.
Representatives of the National Health Commission announced this Friday that this system will be extended to other cities, where there are no outbreaks, to “monitor” and “quickly alert” if cases are detected.
The outbreaks registered in various parts of China in recent weeks have caused the total or partial confinement of several cities, including Chengdu (center) or Guiyang (south), under the Chinese policy of ‘zero cases’ of covid-19.
This policy consists of isolating all infected people and their close contacts in designated hospitals or facilities, strict border controls, massive PCR testing campaigns, and lockdowns of entire neighborhoods, districts, and cities.
On Wednesday, the health authorities of the Asian country insisted that the strategy is “the most economical and scientific” for the country because “it quickly detects new infections and contains the spread at the lowest cost and as quickly as possible.”
According to official figures, since the start of the pandemic, 246,328 people have tested positive for the virus in China, of whom 5,226 have died.
Source: TSF
