Medical workers collect swab samples at a nucleic acid testing site in Chengguan District of Lanzhou City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 21, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

Xining city in Northwest China's Qinghai Province removed Xu Rongjun, chief of Chengxi District Health Bureau in Xining, and Qi Yunqing, chief of the district Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from their positions on Tuesday. 

The two officials were held accountable for their derelict organization and lack of professional guidance amid the latest COVID-19 resurgence. Prior to this removal, a public hospital director in Guinan county of Qinghai was sacked because of negligent management of nucleic acid testing equipment on October 29. 

Apart from officials sacked in Qinghai, Tianshui city in Northwest China's Gansu province dismissed Chen Kexiao, chief of Tianshui Health Commission, and Wu Yizhong, chief of Tianshui CDC, on Sunday for their dereliction of duty in the latest COVID-19 flare-up.

The sacking of officials in Tianshui came after the punishment of officials in Alxa League, the China-Mongolia border city in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as Ejin Banner and Alxa Right Banner administered by Alxa League. 

From October 23 to 30, at least 5 officials were removed from their positions in this border region, including Chen Zhanyun, Party chief of Ejin Banner, and Sun Jianjun, Party chief of culture, tourism and television department of Alxa League. Two other officials in Ejin Health Commission and a police officer in Alxa Right Banner were also dismissed due to poor response to the flare-up. 

At least 5 more officials of health commission, public security bureau and civil affairs bureau in Ejin and Alxa Right Banner were reprimanded and held accountable amid this COVID-19 resurgence.

Gansu was hit hardest by the resurgence of COVID-19 from October 18 with most cases reported in Lanzhou and Tianshui, where Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan conducted an inspection tour between Thursday and Saturday, urging precise and effective COVID-19 control measures to curtail flare-ups. 

According to the provincial CDC, Gansu has reported 113 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday, including 68 in Lanzhou and 23 in Tianshui. 

Qinghai has reported 25 confirmed cases as of Monday, including 21 in Xining. 

Global Times