Office of the leading group for logistics of China's State Council on Saturday notified a few highway checkpoints in four cities for excessive epidemic prevention and control, the first notification of its kind, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Four highway checkpoints in Zhangjiakou in North China's Hebei Province, Hefei and Anqing in East China's Anhui Province, and Shangluo in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province were notified for excessive anti-epidemic measures, including forcing truck drivers to take nucleic acid tests before getting off the highway, requiring 48-hour nucleic acid test certificates for drivers coming from low-risk areas, and forcibly persuading vehicles to return to the provinces where they came from.

This is the first time that cities are warned for "excessive anti-epidemic measures." In the notification, the State Council also emphasized that all places should completely cancel the epidemic prevention and control passage restrictions for trucks from low-risk areas, and nucleic acid test results should be mutually recognized nationwide.

Behaviors that cause serious impact on logistics and shortages or interruptions in the supply of goods, will be seriously prosecuted in accordance with the law, the State Council announced.

In recent months, the central government has intensively issued policies focusing on logistics and stability of the industrial supply chain.

On June 6, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the Ministry of Transport, stressing the need to further smooth transportation and logistics to protect the operation of market players and stabilize the economy. All regions and departments are required to strengthen the cooperation and prevent excessive anti-epidemic measures, and make concerted efforts to promote the positive growth of trade volume as soon as possible to support for economic growth in Q2.

With the epidemic gradually under control, a number of provinces, including East China's Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Northwest China's Gansu, and North China's Shanxi have issued directives adjusting the cross-provincial anti-epidemic policies, strictly prohibiting excessive epidemic prevention. For example, on June 9, Anhui issued a directive requesting the removal of the epidemic prevention checkpoints on ordinary roads in the province.