Medical workers seal a sample at a community in Yuhua District of Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 7, 2021. Shijiazhuang started to conduct citywide nucleic acid tests covering all residents on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

 Virus that caused the latest flare-up in North China’s Hebei Province is suspected to have been imported from abroad, as it share no similarity with epidemic outbreaks in other parts of China, local experts noted. 

The current epidemiological report suggests that they have not located the “patient zero” of Hebei’s recent COVID-19 resurgence, but the virus caused this recent outbreak could be imported from abroad via airports. 

Big data screening of gene sequencing and antibody tests have proven that the COVID-19 flare-up in Hebei shares no similarity with outbreaks in other parts of China, and the government is deploying more than 100 work teams to investigate the source of infection, an official at the local center for disease prevention and control said Saturday. 

Shijiazhuang reported 14 more confirmed cases and 16 asymptomatic ones on Friday. 

Shijiazhuang on Friday required all local residents to undertake 7-day home quarantine after the citywide nucleic acid tests. 

On Saturday, two more cities in Hebei Province, Xingtai and Dingzhou, followed Shijiazhuang in enforcing a 7-day home quarantine period on all residents.  

Xingtai has also suspended public transportation amid virus flare-ups. 

Global Times