A medical worker conducts a nucleic acid test on a boy in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province. Photo: VCG

Schools in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, were suspended on Tuesday to prevent cluster infections. Dalian also required people to hold negative nucleic acid test reports within 24 hours before leaving the city, as it reported 32 new local infections on Tuesday, including five confirmed cases and 27 silent carriers. 

Cluster infections have so far emerged in more than four schools in two regions across China, with at least 46 students infected.

Dalian released COVID-19 prevention plans for the whole education system ranging from kindergartens to universities, suspending teaching activities in kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools as well as after-school training institutions. 

Dalian also locked down universities and vocational schools. Students living in schools are not allowed to leave while those who live outside schools including elementary and high school students will have online classes.

Dalian announced emergency plans for its educational departments and schools after cluster infections were found in schools in Central China's Henan Province and North China's Hebei Province. Those who need to leave Dalian must show health codes, and negative nucleic acid test reports taken within 24 hours 

Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan disclosed tracks of eight confirmed cases on the same day, seven of which are students. Zhengzhou has so far reported 37 COVID-19 cases in the latest resurgence and 27 of them are students from four different schools.

Cluster infections have also emerged in two primary schools in Xinji, a city in North China's Hebei. At least 19 students were confirmed to have been infected as of Tuesday.

China's Ministry of Education required local educational authorities and schools on Friday to take strict measures to prevent the pandemic from breaking out inside schools and promote the vaccination for young people aged 3-11.

According to the national health commission, China reported 43 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, with 11 cases detected in Xinji, 5 cases in Dalian and 2 cases in Zhengzhou.

As of Monday, more than 2.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the Chinese mainland, said the national health commission.