A resident takes nucleic acid test in Beijing on August 31, 2022. Photo: IC

Universities in Beijing tightened their epidemic prevention management after one confirmed infection and another five tested positive for COVID-19 in a latest campus-related cluster infection at a local university on Tuesday. Authorities warned of a grim situation of epidemic prevention.

Beijing reported one new confirmed infection and another five cases tested positive for COVID-19 in initial screening in Changping district on Tuesday morning with all the infections being college students from Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) studying at the university's Changping campus, Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, announced during Tuesday's briefing.

The confirmed patient returned to the campus on August 28 and had never left the campus before the symptoms showed up on Sunday. The patient visited the hospital on Monday and was confirmed and identified as a light case of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

All the other five infections are the patient's schoolmates and they tested positive for the virus on Tuesday in initial screening.

One building at the campus in Changping was raised to a high-risk area, and all the personnel at risk have been transferred and quarantined, the authorities announced. The all-member nucleic acid testing has been launched and the results which have come out show negative.

The campus has been placed under strict management with no entry or exit of personnel except for those of daily necessity supply.

With three campuses in Changping, Chaoyang and Haidian districts, the university has tightened its management in all the three campuses simultaneously since there is flow of personnel between the three campuses. Some senior students who stayed at the same dormitory building with the confirmed case have recently moved to the campus in Chaoyang district, a graduate student told caixin.com.

Influenced by the sudden flare-up, some other universities have also tightened their management. Students from the Communication University of China in Chaoyang district were asked to fill in forms to report their information and health conditions on Monday midnight after the outbreak at the BUCT campus, according to a teacher from the university who asked to keep anonymity. Besides, students living in the dormitory zones outside the campus have to apply for admission to enter the campus since lectures are being conducted online.

Beijing International Studies University (BISU) located in Chaoyang has required all the faculties to report their locations via mobile app every day to assure they just commute between the campus and their homes every day, Wang Wei, professor from the School of Interpreting and Translation of BISU told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The teachers have to take nucleic acid tests every 48 hours and have to hold epidemic-prevention-themed class meetings with the students every week.

The students also have to report their locations via a mobile app and they have to attend lectures with their masks on.

Lectures at the university are given in person and online simultaneously since some students are still placed under quarantine in their hometowns across the nation from Urumqi city in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province to East China's Shanghai.

Since there are still 230,000 college students and school faculties expected to return to Beijing in recent days along with the approaching of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the increasing flow of personnel has posed increasing risks to the capital with imported cases, Li Yi, spokesperson of Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said during Tuesday's press briefing.

The latest college-related cluster infection warns of the grim situation of epidemic prevention. Colleges and primary and middle schools which are densely populated and are the key to the epidemic prevention, the authorities said, urging to strictly implement screening on at-risk personnel and checking health condition of every person.

The education authority stressed the epidemic prevention on students and faculties during the entire progress of their return journey to the campuses with management on their heath conditions, protection work on the way and health monitoring upon arrivals at the campus to be strengthened. Meanwhile, the daily epidemic prevention at campus, including working out the emergency response work plan, was also stressed.

Besides, the frequency of nucleic acid tests taken by students and faculties return to the campus have to be increased within seven days upon their arrivals. Movements and activities at the campuses have to be reduced and all kinds of get-togethers and gatherings are to be banned.