Photo: Xinhua

Binhai New Area in North China’s Tianjin announced on Friday it would enter “war time” mode and activate its emergency response mechanism to combat COVID-19, after four confirmed cases were reported in a local community, and positive environment samples were found at a kindergarten in the area.
 
The epidemic control authority said it will launch full-scale nucleic acid tests among residents from Saturday. The tests will last two to three days.
 
The kindergarten, where the granddaughter of two confirmed cases stayed, has been under closed-off management with all faculty, children and their guardians under isolated medical observation, after the four cases were found. Other relevant places including the community and a local hospital have been closed off as well.
 
The community has reported eight COVID-19 cases in November, including five confirmed cases and three asymptomatic cases.
 
Tangshan, a neighboring city in North China’s Hebei, reminded its residents on Friday to keep alert of any possible contacts with cases in Tianjin, after Tianjin raised a residential community to a "high risk level" for contracting COVID-19. One of the confirmed Tianjin cases drove to Tangshan on November 15 to buy medicine and have dinner with friends.