Local Shanghai residents queue up for a nucleic acid test at a cultural center in Xuhui district on March 12, 2022. Photo: VCG

Shanghai moved to tighten control over the latest COVID-19 flare-up on Sunday by telling residents not to leave the city if it's not necessary and suspending long-distance coach transportation services after local infections were reported in communities and on a university campus in the city.

Shanghai reported one local confirmed infection Sunday morning, bringing the accumulated local confirmed cases of the latest resurgence to 432. The local infection, an 18-year-old male student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was a close contact of a previously reported silent carrier and tested positive for the virus during centralized quarantine. The university has reported at least two confirmed cases and several asymptomatic carries since Friday. 

Meanwhile, the city reported 64 asymptomatic carriers on Sunday, of which 60 were identified during quarantine and the other four were spotted during screening of relevant personnel at high risk. 

In order to further step up the control over the sudden surge of COVID-19, Shanghai issued a notification Saturday night, suggesting residents not to leave the city if it's not necessary and those who indeed have to leave must have negative nucleic acid test results obtained within 48 hours. Besides, people who arrive in the city must also have negative nucleic acid testing results obtained within 48 hours. 

The Shanghai General Long Distance Bus Station has also suspended operation since Sunday and passengers who had purchased tickets will be fully refunded. 

For fear of a flare-up on campus, another renowned university in Shanghai, Fudan University, will also start its quasi-lockdown management from 8 pm on Sunday with the duration expected to last two weeks. Students and teachers staying on campus will take nucleic acid tests. 

Besides, the city has also suspended citywide in-person education at local kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools as well as all kinds of training courses since Saturday to stifle spreading of the virus among students. 

Based on the epidemiological investigations, gene sequencing alignment and the comprehensive research judgment by experts, the latest surge of COVID-19 cases in Shanghai was caused by the virus carried by imported cases that contaminated the environment, causing local infections and transmission at the five-star Hua Ting Hotel & Towers used as a centralized quarantine site.

Global Times