The southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen, the country's tech hub neighboring Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, resumed normal work and production on Monday as the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city subsided.
After three rounds of citywide nucleic acid tests since March 14, the COVID-19 prevention in the city is under control, said Huang Qiang, deputy secretary-general of Shenzhen municipal government.
The number of Shenzhen's COVID-19 positive cases detected in the preliminary screening dropped sharply from 38 to four on March 18 and then to just one case on March 19. No positive cases have been reported in most areas of the city for several consecutive days, and the majority of new cases were found in centralized isolation sites and in areas under lockdown, Huang added.
On Monday, the city resumed bus and subway services, and local authorities rolled out measures to ensure the safety and stability of industrial and supply chains and orderly life and work for locals.
More than 850 bus routes resumed regular operations. People must show the nucleic acid negative test report issued within 48 hours or the proof of nucleic acid test done within 24 hours voluntarily before boarding public transport, Huang added.
A passenger is boarding a bus at Songpingshan Bus Station in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, March 21, 2022. /CFP
Xu Wei, deputy director of Shenzhen municipal transportation bureau, said that point-to-point special lines has been reserved for medical staff and volunteers to meet their commuting needs and to ensure normal traffic operation of the city.
In addition, the local authorities will continue to implement anti-COVID-19 measures for enterprises involved in industrial and supply chains, Xu said. Authorities in all districts and relevant departments will intensify efforts to provide targeted services for enterprises, respond quickly to their needs, and help them overcome difficulties in production and operations.
Non-essential indoor public venues, including massage parlors, poker rooms and internet cafes, as well as child-care and offline education institutions, continued to suspend operations. All restaurants operated at half capacity.
Citizens queue up for nucleic acid tests in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, March 20, 2022. /CFP
Tech hub's efforts to curb COVID-19
Shenzhen, China's Silicon Valley, expects to achieve steady economic expansion under its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021 to 2025), attributing to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area). The tech hub's local economy is expected to reach 4 trillion yuan ($0.63 trillion) by 2025, up from 2.8 trillion yuan ($0.44 trillion) in 2020, with its per capita GDP forecast to hit 215,000 yuan ($33,827) in 2025.
Major Apple Inc. supplier Foxconn also resumed normal operations at its most important campuses in Shenzhen on Monday, as the world's largest contract electronics maker once arranged some staff to live and work in bubble to battle the spread of COVID-19.
Since March 13, strict and meticulous prevention and control measures such as suspension of bus and subway systems have been implemented in Shenzhen to contain the spread of the virus. Communities and industrial parks were also placed under closed management, according to the Shenzhen COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters.
With these measures proving effective, the number of new COVID-19 cases declined steadily in Shenzhen. Thus, on Friday, the city partially resumed normal life and production in five districts, including Guangming and Pingshan, where the community spread of the coronavirus had been contained.
Copyright © 2020 CGTN. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3
Copyright © 2020 CGTN. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3
Copyright © 2020 CGTN. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3