At the press conference of Guangzhou's epidemic prevention and control on April 8, Ms. Chen Bin, deputy director and spokesperson of Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission offered an update on Guangzhou's COVID-19 response.

From April 7 till noon the next day, Guangzhou reported six positive COVID-19 cases. Four patients exhibited mild symptoms and two patients had no symptoms.

Four patients with mild symptoms

The first patient is a 45-year-old truck driver who lives in Huabei Road, Huadu District. He left Guangzhou on April 3 and tested negative outside Guangdong the day after. After he returned to the city on April 6, he tested positive during routine testing for workers in key industries, and such result was confirmed by a second test.

The second and third patients are married couples who were put under home quarantine on April 2 as they live in the same neighborhood as a COVID-19 patient (the COVID-positive truck driver reported by Baiyun on April 2). Their test results on April 2, 3, and 4 were all negative. However, they tested positive on April 6 and again positive on the second test. The gene sequencing results show that they belong to the same transmission chain as the said truck driver.

The fourth patient is a 52-year-old male online ride-hailing driver who lives on Huacheng Street in Huadu. On March 31, he was identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 patient outside Guangzhou, and was then transferred to a hotel for centralized quarantine. His test results from April 1 to 6 all returned negative. However, he tested positive on April 7 and the reviewed result also came back positive.

Two asymptomatic cases

One asymptomatic patient is a 31-year-old man who traveled to Guangzhou by high-speed train G85, and stayed in the 7 Days Inn in Zhongcun Street, Panyu. His test results on March 29 and 30 and April 2 were all negative. He tested positive on April 7 and his second test was also positive.

The other is a 31-year-old man who lives in Longpan Garden in Tianhe. He tested negative when he returned to Guangzhou by Flight CA4333 on the afternoon of April 4. On April 6, he was identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 patient outside Guangdong, and was immediately transferred to a quarantine hotel. His test result on that day was still negative. On April 7, he tested positive in both the preliminary and confirmatory testing.

All the six patients have been transferred to Guangzhou No.8 People's Hospital for treatment. They are in stable condition.

108 Key Sites From 9 Districts Identified

Guangzhou is now going all out to stop the spread through early detection and rapid response. Multiple measures including contact tracing, quarantine, and disinfection are well underway to minimize transmission risks and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

As of noon on April 8, 3,747 close contacts and 3,770 secondary contacts have been put under quarantine. 5,967 people have been identified as key groups and were alerted by a yellow health code and text messages; they are required to take three tests in seven days.

Based on the patients' travel histories and the contact tracing results, 108 key exposure sites have been identified, covering 9 districts including Panyu, Baiyun, Huadu, Haizhu, Tianhe, Conghua, Huangpu, Nansha, and Yuexiu.

4 Lockdown Zones, 2 Partially Lockdown Zones, and 2 Restricted Zones Designated

559,000 Samples Collected as of 14:00 on April 8

All Results Available Were Negative

To control the spread while maintaining social and economic wellbeing, differentiated control measures have been in place in the risk areas.

4 Lockdown Zones: 1 in Panyu and 3 in Baiyun;

2 Partially Lockdown Zones: 1 in Panyu and 1 in Baiyun;

2 Restricted Zones: 1 in Panyu and 1 in Baiyun.

On April 7 and 8, 922 units of 203 testing stations were set up, and 2,183 medical workers were dispatched for mass testing. As of 14:00 on April 8, a total of 559,000 samples for COVID-19 testing have been collected, and all results available were negative.

Don't Push Your Luck

Follow COVID-19 Guidelines

Guangzhou has reported several positive cases of cross-provincial truck drivers and inbound travelers in the past few days. We hereby remind all logistics and freight workers, incoming travelers, and all residents in Guangzhou that the epidemic situation remains tense and nothing shall be left to chance.

First, Control measures on inter-provincial logistics and freight business shall be intensified.

Since April, Guangzhou has reported several imported cases and transmissions caused by inbound or passing-by truck drivers. The risks of the virus spreading through crowded places such as farmer's markets and logistic parks persist. Therefore, we would like to urge truck drivers to stay vigilant against COVID-19 and monitor their health during the long drives. They should wear a mask properly, maintain good personal hygiene, and disinfect their vehicles frequently. Meanwhile, they shall cooperate with relevant declaration and inspection measures as required.

Competent authorities of expressway entrances/exits, city expressway service areas, freight stations (fields), wholesale markets, and industrial parks shall implement name list-based management on drivers and passengers from outside Guangdong. They shall see through the 24h reporting, classified health management, fully closed-loop procedures, and special escort of trucks from key areas, as well as other control measures to curb risk spillover. In the meanwhile, they should also provide caring and support services to the truck drivers.

High-risk workers dealing with cold chain logistics, imported goods, international mails, etc. shall continue to be subject to closed-loop management. Necessary safety protocols shall be firmly in place.

Second, inbound travelers from outside Guangdong shall make a report and follow health management regulations

According to COVID-19 Notice No.29 and 30, all inbound travelers from outside Guangdong are required to make health declarations before and get tested after arriving in Guangzhou. They shall, based on their travel history, comply with safety protocols such as home quarantine and health monitoring as required by their local community.

Particularly, those subject to home health monitoring shall work or study from home if appropriate. They shall avoid leaving home unless necessary, participating in group dining or other forms of gatherings, and visiting enclosed public venues. Proper protective measures shall be taken when doing necessary trips.

Third, service workers shall strengthen safety protection.

Workers in the service industry, especially bus, tax, and online ride-hailing drivers, as well as those who work at service windows, restaurants, training centers, etc. deal with a large number of people with different backgrounds on a daily basis, and are therefore at a higher exposure risk to COVID-19. They should strengthen personal protection, wear masks correctly, clean and disinfect more often, and get vaccine boosters. Those who experience fever, cough, or any other COVID-19 symptoms shall not go to work. They shall make a timely report and go to a fever clinic as soon as possible.