Metro system stepping up virus prevention and control measures
Passengers wear masks at the Nanjing Road W Station on Metro Line 12 on Tuesday.
Shanghai's metro system has tightened COVID-19 prevention and control measures with quarantine areas in place at all stations, according to local officials
All passengers are required to wear masks and have their temperatures checked.
Riders with temperatures above 37.3 degrees Celsius will be taken to quarantine areas for another temperature check, and health authorities will be informed if the initial reading is confirmed, said Shao Weizhong, vice president of Shanghai Shentong Group, the city's metro operator.
Metro workers in the Kunshan section of Metro Line 11 have begun checking health codes of passengers coming to Shanghai.
A quarantine area is in place at the station.
There are more than 871 temperature check sites at the 459 stations on the recently opened line 15, second phase of line 10 and first phase of line 18, which all have thermal imaging and mask vending machines.
Patrols and promotions reminding passengers to wear masks have been beefed up.
“Residents can alert metro staff if they spot passengers not wearing masks or wearing masks improperly," said Shao. "We will instruct passengers to obey relevant requirements immediately and inform police if they ignore our requests."
A Metro station staffer watches a screen of the thermal imaging system.
Regular disinfection on frequently touched facilities, such as security check and self-help ticket machines, handrails, platforms and public toilets, are conducted with different frequencies based on their traffic flows.
Ventilation in subway stations has been increased, and Metro trains are thoroughly disinfected every day.
Monitoring of traffic flows at key stations and sections has been enhanced, with flexible management and operational adjustments carried out to ease crowding.
A coordination mechanism has been created for the metro, local airports and railway stations to handle emergencies.
