Changsha held a press conference on March 29 afternoon to brief the media on its latest COVID-19 prevention and control efforts. Three new cases have been reported in Changsha since 15:00 on March 28. One of them is a truck driver coming from other provinces, and the other two are close contacts of a teacher surnamed Zhong, who is a confirmed case reported in Yuelu District on March 26. All of them have been transferred to the Changsha Public Health Treatment Center for isolation and treatment. The involved schools--Yali Middle School and Yali-Peicui School, have started online teaching in an all-around way.

Yang Rengui, director of the Changsha Center for Disease Control and Prevention, briefed the media on Changsha’s latest epidemic prevention and control efforts.

Xie Xiaohong, deputy director of the Changsha Municipal Education Bureau, introduced the prevention and control measures taken by the education department for involved schools, and how to better serve teachers and students regarding their daily life and study.

Liu Yanni, deputy head of the People's Government of Yuhua District, and Liu Laihong, vice mayor of the Liuyang Municipal People's Government, respectively introduced their response measures taken when the new cases occurred.

From March 14 to 12:00 on March 29, a total of 22 cases were reported in Changsha, including 20 confirmed cases and 2 asymptomatic cases. Of the total, six were found through screening of key personnel returning from other provinces, two through nucleic acid screening in key areas, and fourteen through screening of close contacts. All the infected people have been found to have clear sources of infection and transmission chains. Gene sequencing of 19 infected persons has been completed, and the results show that all of them were infected by a sub-variant of Omicron known as BA.2.

Since the epidemic outbreak, Changsha has further strengthened efforts to prevent the risk of imported cases. Free nucleic acid testing is provided for travelers from other places at the city’s bus stations, the Changsha Railway Station, the Changsha South Railway Station, and the Changsha Huanghua International Airport. Venue QR code checking is a must before entering a venue. Differentiated and targeted measures are adopted for the management and control of red and yellow health code holders.

Solid and meticulous measures have been implemented for the management and control of Yali Middle School and Yali-Peicui School. Starting from March 27, teachers and students, in centralized or home quarantine, have to receive nucleic acid tests once a day for seven consecutive days. Methods including utilizing existing resources and recorded online classes, and conducting online Q&A are used to help continue students’ studies during the epidemic. The two schools have started online teaching in an all-around way since March 28.

Source: en.changsha.gov.cn