China’s Shenzhen vows to ‘mobilise all resources’ to curb COVID spread

Shenzhen, Jul 21 (BNA): The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has pledged to “mobilize all resources” to slowly curb the spread of COVID-19, ordering strict implementation of tests and temperature checks, and the closure of buildings affected by the coronavirus.

Shenzhen, which has a population of about 18 million, reported 22 new locally transmitted cases on Wednesday, with the daily number increasing from single digits earlier this month.

Although the number of cases is still small by global standards, the slow rise has prompted the Shenzhen authorities to increase vigilance, in order to comply with the central government’s “dynamic zero” policy to contain the outbreak as soon as it appears, Reuters reported.

Shenzhen has not ordered a blanket shutdown of businesses or severe restrictions on the movement of people, but it has closed apartment complexes and buildings identified as being at greater risk. Officials have been told to make their virus measures more targeted to avoid unnecessary disruption to the economy.

Meng Fanli, head of the city’s Communist Party, said Shenzhen “will mobilize all resources and take all measures to quickly eliminate the risk of community spread in key areas, resolutely cut transmission chains, and contain the outbreak as soon as possible.”

In a statement published late Wednesday, Meng also warned that the city government would severely hold those responsible for any negligence leading to the spread of the virus to be held.

Of the 22 local infections on Wednesday, 13 were found in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen, home to tech giants Tencent and DJI.

In March, when the number of cases began to increase from the low double digits, Shenzhen adopted a one-week 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 the necessities.

It was one of the shortest lockdowns among cities affected by the coronavirus, with populations exceeding 10 million, and even less in Wuhan in 2020.

Buses and subways in Shenzhen have been closed and non-essential businesses ground to a halt, while employees have been asked to work from home or from a sealed campus.

Including the cases in Shenzhen, mainland China reported 826 new localized cases of COVID-19 on July 20, of which 148 were asymptomatic and 678 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said Thursday.

FKN