CHINA / SOCIETY
Virus-hit Guangzhou suspends entertainment venues, dine-in meals and markets in key areas amid rising infections
Published: Jun 08, 2021 09:11 PM
A cinema in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, suspends operation. File photo: VCG

A cinema in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, suspends operation. File photo: VCG



South China's Guangzhou on Tuesday suspended cinemas, theatres, KTVs, internet cafes and other entertainment venues amid rising infections with 10 new locally transmitted cases and four confirmed cases turning from asymptomatic cases on Monday.

Guangdong Province registered ten new locally transmitted cases, all in Guangzhou, according to the latest update from the provincial health commission. Another nine asymptomatic cases were reported to have turned into confirmed cases - four in Guangzhou, three in Shenzhen, one in Foshan and one in Zhanjiang.

Several districts in Guangzhou have imposed stricter epidemic prevention measures as the newly reported cases in the city record a new high over the past five days since Thursday.

Liwan district in the city launched another round of nucleic acid testing on Tuesday for nine neighborhood, where people are not allowed to leave their houses because of the new confirmed cases. 

Yuexiu district suspended dine-in meals and business of entertainment venues from Monday.

Quanquan, a resident in Yuexiu district, told the Global Times on Tuesday, "Our company has suspended dine-in services in the dining hall, and lunch will be delivered to each employee's work seat."

Since the latest epidemic outbreak in Guangzhou, Quanquan has received two rounds of nucleic acid testing, one on Wednesday and the second on Sunday. 

"Although the queue looked very long, the collection speed was very fast, and the whole process was completed in just half an hour," Quanquan said. 

The city has closed all agricultural markets in medium and high-risk areas, as well as closed and controlled management areas from Monday.

The city's health commission released a list of places where newly reported cases have travelled to, including 144 places in six districts. All have been strictly disinfected by the disease control department. 

The results of wide nucleic acid testing in some districts have been released.

"Since the launch of the nucleic acid testing on May 26, as of Monday 12 pm, about 27.99 million nucleic acid samples were collected in Guangzhou, of which 40 samples tested positive," Chen Bin, Deputy Director and spokesperson of the Guangzhou City Health Commission said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the Guangzhou government on Tuesday.

"10 positive samples have been found during citywide nucleic acid testing since Friday, three in Nanshan and seven in Liwan district," Chen said.

Baiyun district in the city said on Tuesday that all nucleic acid testing samples collected from Friday to Sunday for all residents had come back negative, according to the Baiyun district information office.

Huangpu district also found no positive cases in its first round of widespread nucleic acid testing from Friday to Saturday.

At the press conference, officials called on residents to obey the relevant regulations on epidemic prevention and control. 

Six criminal cases involving violation of relevant regulations were announced by Yang Bingsheng, deputy director of the city's Public Security Bureau. One confirmed case in Panyu has been detained for not truthfully informing medical staff of his travel and contact history.

As of Tuesday, Guangzhou has two high-risk areas and nine medium-risk area.