The Guangzhou municipal people's government information office held a COVID-19 control and prevention press conference on March 10, in which Chen Bin, the deputy director-general and spokesperson of the Guangzhou health commission, gave a briefing about the COVID-19 control and prevention situation in Guangzhou.

One COVID-19 infection was recently detected in the wide-scale testing conducted for all people linked to possible exposure sites, in which it was determined that the patient was infected with the Omicron variant according to the results of genetic sequencing.

COVID-19 control and prevention personnel at the district and municipal levels worked around the clock over the past two days to identify the infection source through epidemiological investigation. They also located close contacts and secondary close contacts through contact tracing, screened key persons, and cordoned off possible exposure sites.

The patient is a 40-year-old woman who works as a salesperson at Kapok International Fashion City in Yuexiu district. The patient tested negative on a previous PCR test on Feb 28 but began experiencing symptoms, including dry cough and runny nose, on March 7.

In the wide-scale testing conducted on March 9, the patient tested positive. She was tested again for verification purposes and it was confirmed that she had been infected. The patient was transported to No 8 Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University on the same night. The medical treatment expert panel studied the clinical and imaging manifestations, as well as the laboratory test results, and concluded that the patient had been infected by SARS-Cov-2. Currently, the patient is stable. Genetic sequencing results identified that the patient had contracted the Omicron variant.

As epidemiological investigations proceed further, 470 people had been identified as close contacts as of March 10, while 334 people had been identified as secondary close contacts, all of whom had taken tests and had been placed under health administration measures. A total of 3,254 people had been found to have links to possible exposure sites and they had been issued yellow Suikang codes.

In addition to the 22 possible exposure sites published yesterday, an additional 11 places have been identified as possible exposure sites, including:

Yuexiu district (10 sites): No 14 Yuehua Road, Pagoda Fruit Store (Yuehua Road), JC Jiangchen Hair Salon (Yuehua Road), Floor 2 of KFC (Liuhua Station), No 1 Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Gangbao Cards, and Restaurant (Zhanqian Road), Innisfree on the ground floor of Mayflower Plaza, Hongmian Beef Entrails, Yingshang Convenience Store, Suning Convenience Store (Cangbian Road No 2 Store).

Baiyun district (1): Helong Hotel.

All possible exposure sites identified in the past two days, including Kapok International Fashion City, have been cordoned off and disinfected. An additional 311 environmental samples had been taken, of which three taken from the patient's home and another three taken from the patient's stall contained limited quantities of virus, while the remaining samples all tested negative.

Nucleic acid testing will continue and be conducted in Yuexiu, Liwan, Tianhe, Baiyun, and Panyu for possible exposure sites and infected residents in the community. As of March 10, 1.11 million samples had been taken, of which none have returned positive results.

In order to effectively curb the risks of COVID-19 spread, the municipal COVID-19 control and prevention command has decided to immediately apply further differentiated risk-based containment measures for the following areas pursuant to the comprehensive analysis of experts:

Four lockdown zones: Kapok International Fashion City, No 184 Huanshi West Road; Tianma Apparel town, No 168 Huanshi West Road; Diyi Dadao Apparel town, Zhanqian Road; No 12 and 14 Yuehua Road. The aforementioned areas shall be completely locked down. All residents inside these areas are under mandatory home quarantine, while necessary services and goods will be delivered to their doorsteps.

Two partially lockdown zones: the area encircled by Huanshi West Road in the north, Renmin North Road in the east, north of Southern Theater Command General Hospital Compound in the south, and Liwan border areas in the west; No 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 18 and 24 Yuehua Road and the stores of No 20 and 22 Yuehua Road. Residents of these areas shall not leave the partial lockdown zone and deliveries must be collected on a staggered schedule.

Two restricted zones: Excluding Guangzhou Railway Station, Guangdong Province Coach Station, and Southern Theater Command General Hospital, the area encircled by the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway Yuexiu Section in the north, Yuexiu Park in the east, Liuhua Road in the south, Guangyuan West Road in the west, and some neighboring areas of Liwan district; and the area encircled by Shi Alley in the north, Cangbian Road in the east (including Haoxian Road Famers' Market), Yuehua Road in the south, Yuexiu Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in the west, and areas in the east side lanes of Xiaodongying Plaza. Social activities will be restricted, and people are strictly prohibited to gather in these areas. Dining-in service will be suspended and facilities inside closed spaces will be temporarily closed in these areas.

Once the differentiated risk-based containment measures are in place, public transportation in relevant areas will also be temporarily out of service or operating with limited capacity. All residents should pay close attention to official information releases and make travel arrangements accordingly.

Officials noted that there is no quick fix to the pandemic and that this new case serves as a sobering reminder to everyone. Crowded places with a large number of visitors, such as commercial buildings, retail markets, restaurants, shopping malls, and supermarkets, should enhance their commitment to fulfilling COVID-19 control and prevention obligations, strictly implement all the COVID-19 control and prevention measures, as well as properly monitor the health of their employees.

All residents must wear masks and abide by COVID-19 control and prevention measures, such as scanning and presenting the Suikang Code and getting their temperature taken when using public transportation or entering public sites. For people who experience symptoms, such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, smell and taste disorders, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, conjunctivitis, muscle pain, and diarrhea, it is advised that they abstain from work and wear proper personal protection equipment to seek professional medical advice at the nearest fever clinic after undergoing a nucleic acid test.

Residents of the lockdown zones, partially lockdown zones, and restricted zones are advised to refrain from unnecessary travel. They are also advised to work with the neighborhood and community management to implement necessary COVID-19 control and prevention measures, such as taking nucleic acid tests.

Residents of the lockdown zones, partially lockdown zones, and restricted zones can dial the following numbers if they encounter any difficulties in life or in seeking medical assistance: Beijing neighborhood +86-20-83321142, +86-19928360187 (24 hours); Liuhua neighborhood +86-16602093987, +86-19928361068 (24 hours).