People are inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccines at a healthcare center in Honglian Community in Xicheng District of Beijing, capital of China, January 3, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

The local government of Hancheng, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province announced on Tuesday a ban on unvaccinated people entering key public places including supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, public vehicles and entertainment venues and government halls. Persons with a certificate that shows they are not suitable to receive COVID-19 vaccines are excluded from the ban. The measure came in the wake of the discovery of one asymptomatic case. 

According to a notice published by the city government on its official WeChat account, the prohibition will start on Tuesday in some areas and on Thursday in the whole city. The move aims to prevent imported cases and domestic outbreaks and help reach herd immunity as soon as possible, the notice said.

The key public places that local residents need to undergo checks include shopping malls, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, public vehicles, entertainment venues, stadiums, hospitals, nursing homes, religious places and government halls.  

People are banned from entering the above places unless they have a certificate from a hospital that shows they are not suitable to receive COVID-19 vaccines or that they have already taken the first shot and are waiting for the second dose. 

A similar requirement was announced in Feixian county, East China's Shandong Province. According to a notice published by the county's health commission on its official WeChat account on Tuesday, checking vaccination record before entering key public places is an important part of forming herd immunity. The county requires local residents to present their vaccination certificates when entering public venues starting from Wednesday. 

The city of Guiping, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, also stipulated that, to ensure campus safety, students and their family members should be vaccinated as soon as possible. Otherwise, their admission to the school could be compromised. 

According to media reports, the government of Deyang district in Southwest China's Sichuan Province also announced that, starting from July 17, unvaccinated people, except those who are not suitable for vaccination, are not allowed to enter schools, nursing homes and libraries. 

More cities and districts in East China's Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces also issued notices requiring citizens to get vaccinated as quickly as they can. They also warn that people who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to enter public venues, including schools and nursing houses, starting late July.