Residents accept nucleic acid test in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, on January 4, 2022. Photo: VCG

East China's Zhejiang Province has stepped up efforts to control the latest round of winter epidemic outbreaks as more confirmed cases have been found. Yongkang, a city in Zhejiang Province, reported a new confirmed case on Wednesday night, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 30, adding to 29 cases in Ningbo reported by the provincial government the same day earlier.

All the confirmed cases are in stable condition and being treated at designated hospitals, said local government officials. Environmental decontamination has been carried out at all epidemic-affected sites. There are two medium-risk areas in Zhejiang Province with no high-risk areas as of press time.

Also on Wednesday, Jiaxing, another city in Zhejiang Province, reported positive environmental samples from a local hospital, said local authorities. The local government immediately shut down that hospital after receiving the report and carried out a full-scale nucleic acid testing for those involved.

According to Yiwu Airport, all flights departing from Yiwu, one of the world's largest small commodity trading hubs in Zhejiang, to Beijing have been cancelled since Thursday in accordance with civil aviation epidemic prevention regulations.

Zhejiang is still in a tough position of epidemic prevention and control especially as the upcoming Spring Festival, the forthcoming travel rush and the gathering of people are propelling the risks of potential outbreaks, and therefore posing new challenges to the governance of the local government, said local government officials.

As of Wednesday, a total of 132 local cases were reported nationwide, spreading in Shaanxi, Henan, and Zhejiang provinces. With the upcoming Spring Festival and the Beijing Winter Olympics, the pressure of epidemic prevention will be further increased, and at the same time, local governments have put forward higher requirements for their governance.

Global Times