Two travelers from outside Shanghai test positive for COVID-19
A large flock of visitors is seen on the Bund in Shanghai during the ongoing seven-day National Day holiday.
Shanghai reported two COVID-19 community cases on Thursday, both from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, traveling in the city during the National Day holiday.
The confirmed case with mild condition and an asymptomatic case tested abnormal during regular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening on Thursday after arriving in Shanghai two days ago.
The 63-year-old man, who stayed in Jiangqiao Town of suburban Jiading District, took Xiamen Airlines Flight MF8292 from Urumqi, Xinjiang, to Taiyuan in northern Shanxi Province, and Juneyao Airlines Flight HO1132 from Taiyuan to Shanghai's Hongqiao International Airport on Tuesday.
The asymptomatic case, a 32-year-old man who stayed in a Home Inn hotel in Beicai Town in the Pudong New Area, took Urumqi Airlines Flight UQ2535 from Urumqi to Lanzhou in northwestern Gansu Province and transferred via Spring Airlines Flight 9C7510 from Lanzhou to Hongqiao airport on Tuesday.
As a result, the community where the confirmed case stayed in Jiading's Jiangqiao Town was designated as a high-risk area, while another section of the community and the Home Inn in Beicai Town became two medium-risk areas, according to Wu Qianyu, a senior official with the Shanghai Health Commission.
In addition to their accommodations, the new cases had been to several restaurants, fruit stalls and shopping malls in Jiading, Pudong and downtown Huangpu District. The places have been quarantined and disinfected.
Two community cases were reported in Shanghai on Thursday.
A total of 34 close contacts of the new cases have been traced and put under central quarantine. All have tested negative. More than 3,302 related people have been screened, and all tested negative, Wu revealed.
"An increasing number of positive cases has been reported in Shanghai recently, mainly because of the National Day holiday and students coming from outside Shanghai," she told the city's COVID-19 press briefing on Thursday.
Shanghai detected a total of 26 positive cases among travelers from other provinces and cities between October 1 and 5, the first five days of the weeklong holiday, said Wu.
A smattering of COVID-19 cases has been detected in multiple domestic provinces and cities, mainly caused by the Omicron BA.5 and BA.2.76 sub-variants, which are fast spreading and well concealed, she pointed out.
"The pandemic situation in Shanghai remains stable, except for the impact from domestic and imported transmissions."
Everyone returning to Shanghai must conduct a weeklong self-health monitoring, with two temperature checks every day, and should avoid gatherings, she noted.
If they show any symptoms such as fever, they must go to the nearest fever clinic immediately with full self protection, Wu added.
Shanghai designated a high-risk area in suburban Jiading District.
Local companies are required to enhance health code inspection of employees and visitors after the holiday ends on Friday.
Shanghai requires people traveling or returning to the city from other provinces to report their itinerary online before arrival.
Every traveler coming or returning to Shanghai also must take a nucleic acid test upon arrival, otherwise a pop-up notification will cover their health code app.
Shanghai reported 11 local asymptomatic infections for Wednesday, mostly people coming from Xinjiang, who tested positive during central quarantine, according to Shanghaifabu, the city's official WeChat account.
The city currently has a high-risk area in Jiading and 11 medium-risk areas in Hongkou, Baoshan, Minhang, Jiading and Fengxian districts as well as Pudong.
Shanghai currently has one high-risk area in suburban Jiading District and 11 medium-risk areas in Hongkou, Baoshan, Minhang, Jiading and Fengxian districts as well as the Pudong New Area.
