Residents take nucleic acid tests in Yuexiu district, Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on April 10, 2022. Photo: VCG

Guangzhou, in South China's Guangdong Province has announced the suspension of on-site activities in all kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools in the city starting Monday after another transmission chain of the Omicron variant was detected. 

All the students of primary and middle schools are required to stay at home and take virtual classes until further notice, the city's authorities announced in a news conference on Sunday afternoon. Grade 12 students who will soon take the National College Entrance Examination, commonly known as the gaokao, are allowed to stay on campus if the school can provide dormitories, and must be under closed management. 

Off-campus training institutions have also been asked to suspend face-to-face activities, and hosting institutions were requested to suspend their services.

At Sunday's news conference, Guangzhou's health authorities reported that the virus strain on new cases in the city was not homologous to previously detected strains in the province, suggesting that a new chain of transmission may have emerged.

The possibility of an ongoing community transmission has not been ruled out, government officials said.

Guangzhou asked its residents not to leave the city starting Monday unless it is necessary. Those who need to leave the city are required to provide a negative nucleic acid testing result within 48 hours.

The city is also building temporary hospitals which will further contribute to epidemic prevention and control. 

Guangzhou has strengthened the security, distribution and supply of basic goods and mapped out the fundamental needs of groups with special needs, including people with disabilities and pregnant women in the area under closed management. 

Guangzhou reported 22 COVID-19 infections between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, raising the tally of cases in the latest outbreak to 23.