Residents scan a QR code to confirm their negative nucleic acid results before entering a shopping mall in Shanghai on Monday. Photo: VCG

Following many places across the country, including neighboring Shanghai, local authorities in several cities in East China's Zhejiang Province announced on Sunday that negative nucleic acid testing results and green health codes are no longer required for taking public transportation and entering public venues since Monday.

Epidemic prevention and control work groups in many places in Zhejiang Province, including Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou, released the latest policies on their official social media accounts, as a part of a series of optimization and adjustment measures in response to 20 optimized measures in the fight against COVID-19 since mid-November.

Regular mass nucleic acid testing will no longer be carried out, but testing services will still be provided to residents who need them, according to the latest policies.

In addition to places like nursing homes, welfare homes, schools and kindergartens, negative nucleic acid testing results and green health codes are no longer required for taking public transportation and entering public venues.

Zhejiang Province reported 517 local confirmed cases and 456 asymptomatic infections on Saturday, according to local health authorities. As of Saturday, Zhejiang had reported 4,708 confirmed cases amid the latest round of outbreak.

The cities with the new policies in Zhejiang will continue to optimize and adjust relevant prevention and control measures in accordance with the national policies and the epidemic situation, local authorities noted, reminding local residents to continue to adhere to social distancing and other relevant personal protection measures.

At the same time, local health authorities have urged people over 60 years old to get vaccinated as soon as possible, in order to further consolidate the immunity barrier among the high-risk groups.

At least a dozen cities across China further adjusted and optimized epidemic control measures over the weekend, including scrapping the requirement for frequent mass nucleic acid testing and mandatory COVID-19 test results for taking public transportation.

In cities like Shanghai and Southwest China's Chongqing, reducing the frequency of nucleic acid testing or even canceling regular nucleic acid testing has become an important part of the optimization of epidemic prevention measures. Other places also explored new measures such as allowing some people who test positive for COVID to be quarantined at home.

Global Times