A medical worker takes a swab sample from an elderly man for COVID-19 test at a testing site in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 21, 2021. Nanjing, which has a population of more than 9.3 million, carried out citywide nucleic acid testing starting on Wednesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

Zhuzhou in Central China's Hunan Province, another city adjacent to the virus-stricken Zhangjiajie, is requiring all local residents not to leave the city after reporting another six new asymptomatic cases on Sunday. More than 30 cities across China have issued such warnings amid the latest round of the epidemic outbreak fueled by the rampaging Delta variant. 

Zhuzhou reported six asymptomatic COVID-19 cases on Sunday, all of which were found during screening tests among people in centralized quarantine, said the local authorities. 

The six patients are mostly close contacts of a confirmed case in the city, with the only exception having visited the Nanjing Lukou airport, where the latest round of outbreaks was first identified. 

They have been transferred to a designated hospital, and places they visited are thoroughly disinfected. The city has also reported a total of 17 asymptomatic cases in the latest COVID-19 spike. 

The city is requiring all residents of the five districts where infection surges are most evident to stay indoors for three days except for emergency response personnel, according to a statement announced by local authorities on Monday, China's state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported. 

All residents from Zhuzhou are asked not to leave the city unless under necessary conditions. And those who will be allowed to leave must present negative nucleic acid test results taken within 48 hours upon departure, the statement read.

Entertainment venues, scenic spots, and religious sites remain closed, and all classes have been suspended. 

The city government urges residents to take nucleic acid tests as soon as possible, as well as the inoculation of complete doses of COVID-19 vaccines. 

Over 30 cities across 19 provinces in China, including the hardest-hit cities of Nanjing, Zhangjiajie, and Zhengzhou, as well as large cities including Beijing and Shanghai, have issued warnings that require locals to stay within the city in recent days. 

Global Times