A medical worker collects swab samples for nucleic acid testing in Xinglong Town of Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 23, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province held nine officials accountable for failing to pay enough attention to the epidemic prevention and control work and their poor management of quarantined people and transport work in the latest COVID-19 outbreak.

Of the nine officials, key officials include Ding Wei, deputy head of Songbei district, Li Yanguo, secretary of Bayan county political and legal committee, and Feng Hua, director of the Bayan county emergency management bureau, according to the discipline inspection commission of Harbin on Tuesday.

Ding was criticized for failing to manage the work of reporting epidemic information, according to the notice.

Li, who is also the deputy commander of Bayan county epidemic prevention and control headquarters, has received disciplinary warning from the Party for poor coordination of quarantine and transport work, the notice said.

Feng, the deputy head of county quarantine and transport team, has received disciplinary warning from the Party for failing to arrange staff at designated quarantine hotel.

The local commission slammed the nine officials' lack of attention, poor preparation in virus fight, saying that the inadequate control of quarantined personnel and transport work has "brought safety risks to the city's epidemic prevention and control work."

Heilongjiang Province reported eight locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, all in Harbin, among which one in Xiangfang district, two in Songbei district, and five in Bayan county.

As of Tuesday, there are in total 68 locally confirmed cases and seven asymptomatic infections in the province.

Global Times