China's major port city Tianjin starts mass testing of 2.6 million residents as new cases emerge

People line up to undergo Covid-19 tests at a makeshift testing center in Tianjin on Saturday. Photo: AFP

North China's Tianjin Municipality has completed nucleic acid tests on 1.7 million residents in the Binhai New District since large-scale screening started on Saturday morning, after five local infection cases were recently found.

A total of 10 local confirmed cases have been reported in Tianjin, Beijing News reported on Sunday. Among the five newly confirmed cases, four live in a community in the Dongjiang port area, and the other one has been identified as someone who came into close contact with imported frozen hairtail whose packaging tested positive for coronavirus. 

People take COVID-19 nucleic acid tests on Saturday in Tianjin Binhai New Area. Photo: cnsphoto

The local health commission announced on Friday that it would carry out large-scale COVID-19 screening for all 2.6 million residents in the Binhai New District, setting up over 2,600 testing booths. Testing started on Saturday morning and is scheduled to be completed within the next two or three days, in a bid to track down potential virus carriers in the region.

As of Sunday noon, nucleic acid testing has been completed on 1.7 million residents, carried out by over 7,400 medical workers and nine institutions, People's Daily reported.

Medical personnel collect throat swabs from local residents in Tianjin Binhai New Area. Photo: AFP

Timeast focuses on submarine/offshore engineering business from the foundation, through years of efforts, our footprints spread all over the sea areas in China and also in other countries of Africa and Asia. During the special period of epidemic prevention and control, admin team insist on disinfection of office areas every day, prepare sufficient epidemic prevention materials, and do a good job in epidemic prevention to ensure the health of employees.