City sets up 15,000 test sites to prevent COVID resurgence
A PCR sample collection kiosk.
Shanghai has built about 15,000 nucleic acid sample collection sites across the city for its normalized COVID-19 prevention and control.
These PCR sample collection kiosks have been set up at local residential communities, office buildings, industrial parks, near Metro stations and transport hubs, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Health Commission.
They include about 4,000 spots for residents at local communities, about 6,000 for companies, schools and construction sites, as well as about 5,000 for any citizen, Zhao told the city's daily press briefing on Monday.
"Normalized PCR tests are related to the future COVID-19 prevention and economic and social development," Zhao said. "We aim to make it more convenient for our citizens."
The target is for citizens be able to get a PCR test within 15 minutes' walk from their home or workplace. These sites will be adjusted according to the requirements, he added.
People can check the address, operation hours and waiting time of the sites on Suishenban app.
Shanghai's PCR testing capacity has been expanded during the COVID-19 resurgence since March.
The city can test at most 8.5 million tubes of nucleic acid samples every day, which can meet the demands of the citywide work resumption, Zhao said.
People in Minhang District wait for outdoor haircuts.
And more than 50,000 people have received training and are qualified to as PCR sample collection assistants.
Citizens with some medical knowledge are encouraged to volunteer for training on COVID-19 prevention and self-protection to assist the medical staff to conduct sample collection.
Some of PCR sample collection kiosks have already opened and are receiving an increasing number of people, Zhao said.
All PCR tests in Shanghai are free through June 30. The cost of a single tube PCR test will be cut to 16 yuan (US$2.40) per person and a mixed test to 5 yuan.
Shanghai will extend the requirements for nucleic acid test reports to ride public transportation or enter public places to within 72 hours from the current 48 hours from Wednesday.
People wanting to leave Shanghai are still required to provide a 48-hour PCR test negative report plus a 24-hour antigen test report, or a 24-hour PCR test report.
Those coming or returning to the city must have a 48-hour negative PCR test report.
Executive Vice Mayor Wu Qing has said there are three kinds of testing sites – fixed, convenient and mobile – across Shanghai.
The fixed testing sites have already been set up at about 200 local hospitals and medical institutes, while the convenient testing kiosks resemble streetside newspaper stalls, once a common sight in the city.
The mobile sites will be similar to breakfast carts, which can be quickly set up in response to any emergency situation.
Minhang people line up to get outside.
The number of local infections dropped 45 percent to 67 on Sunday, but a community COVID-19 case was reported in Minhang District.
The 22-year-old woman living in a dormitory building in Wujing Town of Minhang tested positive and showed mild symptoms such as a cough. She had received two COVID-19 vaccine injections.
Epidemiological investigations show she had not left the residential compound within the past two weeks
She has been transferred to the makeshift hospital at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in the Pudong New Area for quarantine.
The compound at 165 Jianchuan Road has been elevated to a medium-risk area, the Shanghai Health Commission said.
All residents are required to stay at home for two weeks and receive a daily PCR test. The public areas of the community are being disinfected twice every day.
Shanghai has reported seven COVID-19 cases at community level since it announced it had achieved zero community transmission citywide.
Another six community cases were reported in a village of Xujing Town on the outskirts Qingpu District on May 20, Juyuan New Area on the outskirts of Jiading District on May 25, Fangsong Subdistrict of Songjiang District on Friday and 910 Dingxiang Road in Pudong on Saturday.
Shopping at a local supermarket.
