Man captured after swimming away from pandemic control area

A man was caught by police in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, for trying to get away from a pandemic control area by swimming around 10pm on Saturday.

The 28-year-old construction worker surnamed Zhang from Guizhou Province tried to show his ability to swim across the Zhujiang River on a spur of the moment while drinking with his fellow workers on a construction site in Liwan District, Guangzhou Daily reported.

He climbed over a fence and swam across the river to arrive at the city's Yongxing Street Pier in Haizhu District. Local police captured him after receiving reports from nearby residents.

Zhang said he was not aware of the risk of leaving the area without permission at that moment, and has confessed to the violation, the report said. He has been given public security penalties, according to the local police.

By Monday, Guangdong had reported a total of 2,635 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 1,083 imported ones. Currently, 202 patients are being treated in hospitals, according to the provincial health commission.