Two Shanghai subdistrict officials fired over pandemic failures

Two officials of Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict in Huangpu District were removed from office for failure in the ongoing campaign against the resurgence of COVID-19 in Shanghai, the city's discipline watchdog said on Tuesday.

Gu Jianying, secretary of the subdistrict's Party work committee, and Qi Xiaoyun, vice secretary of the same organ and director of the subdistrict office, allegedly failed to effectively organize polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in the subdistrict as well as timely transfer infected people to quarantine sites.

They were also said to be responsible for the disorder in the distribution of food supplies to the residents in the subdistrict, which has a population of about 90,000.

Their actions had "serious impact" on pandemic control work on the district level, the discipline watchdog said in a statement.