New round of nucleic acid testing over weekend

Jiang Xiaowei / SHINE

Beginning today, Shanghai is undertaking another round of massive nucleic acid testing for people who live outside key risk areas.

Shanghai has designated a number of "key areas" among local subdistricts and towns with high COVID-19 infection risks according to epidemiological investigation and distribution of positive COVID-19 cases. These areas, different from the "medium-risk areas," normally had many local COVID-19 cases and complicated transmission chains.

Residents of the key areas have received two nucleic acid tests between Wednesday and today. Through Sunday, people living in low-risk regions will be tested once free of charge at staggered times, according to Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Health Commission.

People are required to go to designated testing sites with their IDs, mobile phones and QR codes on the health cloud app Jiankangyun. They must wear a mask and have their temperatures checked while tested.

Apart from those who already have a negative report between Friday and Sunday and those on high-risk posts, such as medical and airport staff, who are already under regular screening, everyone out of the "key areas" will receive a test in three days, Wu told a press briefing on Friday.

Though no quarantine measures will be imposed on the communities this time, citizens to be tested are advised to stay at home before the result comes out, Wu said. During the last round of screening for the "key areas," all the communities were under quarantine and residents were required to stay at home before the testing results came out.

"We recommend that those who must go to work avoid going anywhere other than their homes and workplaces," he added.

Recent testing, known as "grid screening," has been "timely, necessary and urgent," Wu said.

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Most of the new local symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases reported on Friday were detected during grid screening.

Shanghai reported 57 locally transmitted symptomatic COVID-19 cases and 203 asymptomatic infections on Thursday. Of all the local infections, two symptomatic and 103 asymptomatic cases were detected during central quarantine, while the rest were found during grid screening, according to Wu.

Grid screening preliminary results show the current local surge of COVID-19 is rooted in "regional public gatherings," according to Wu.

"Grid screening serves as a good foundation to curb regional outbreak and wider spread of the virus," he said.

Key risk areas are determined based on the number of positive cases and transmission chains. Neighborhoods that have tested residents twice without any positive cases have lifted quarantine.

"We hope people will limit their mobility so we can cope with screenings," Wu said.

"We hope people will limit their mobility so we can cope with screenings."

Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Health Commission.

For Qingming Festival on April 5, tomb sweepers are required to make advance reservations for peak days on March 26-27 and April 2-5.

People must show their health and travel history codes as well as negative nucleic acid test reports issued in the previous 48 hours before entering local cemeteries, said Zeng Qun, deputy director of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

Meanwhile, No. 20, Lane 612 on Shunchang Road in Huangpu District was elevated to a medium-risk area on Friday.

Shanghai now has 10 medium-risk areas.

The others are: 920 Tingyue Road, Huinan Town in the Pudong New Area; the construction site dormitory at Jianchuan Road Comprehensive Service Center in Minhang District's Jiangchuan Road Subdistrict; 9 Jumenhou Road in Huangpu District's Dapuqiao Subdistrict; 760 Loutang Road in the Jiading District Industrial Zone; 1578 Hongmei Road S. in Minhang's Meilong Town; 1811 Xuefu Road in Jinshan District's Jinshanwei Town; 281 Changdao Road in Pudong's Hudong Community Subdistrict; 233 Henan Road N. in Jing'an District; and 1200 Caoxi Road N. in Xuhui District.

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