Employees screened for COVID-19 in Putuo
A medical staff collects throat and nose swabs from an employee newly returned to Shanghai in Putuo District on Tuesday.
About 70 employees from key regions affected by the coronavirus pandemic were tested for COVID-19 in Putuo District on Tuesday.
Doctors and nurses from Putuo District Central Hospital collected throat and nose swab samples from employees newly returned to work in Shanghai.
The samples were sent to a third-party testing organization with results available within 12 hours. The 100 yuan (US$14) tests are covered by their employers.
If a test is positive, the Putuo District Center for Disease Control will launch its emergency procedures and close contacts will also be tested and quarantined.
Shanghai has enhanced its coronavirus prevention and control measures concerning imported cases and asymptomatic patients, especially after Wuhan, China’s former hardest-hit city, lifted its travel ban on April 8.
Putuo has received over 700 calls from companies based in the district since it announced an appointment hotline on April 13.
The hospital can test up to 200 people a day. Employees can be tested the day after their companies make an appointment, said Sun Jianyue, vice president of the hospital.
Another 40 employees are to be tested on Wednesday, she said.
Other local districts, including Changning and the Pudong New Area, have launched similar tests. They have issued details of specialized sites for local companies to arrange for employees to be tested.
Medical staff pose for a photograph at the swab sample collection site in Putuo District.
