The city government said all districts, villages and communities in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, will implement closed management controls along with other preventive measures from Thursday, as the epidemic situation is still complex and serious.
The city reported 52 new COVID-19 patients on Tuesday and were shifted to designated medical facilities for quarantine and treatment. A total of 143 locally confirmed cases have been reported in Xi'an from December 9 to Tuesday.
Most patients have mild symptoms. Yang Baoli, an official with the provincial health commission, told a news conference on Wednesday that specialists from several hospitals have been selected to treat groups such as the elderly, children and pregnant women.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 9,311 people with close contacts with confirmed cases and 21,787 people with few contacts have been quarantined. Yang said Xi'an has completed a second round of nucleic acid testing for about 10.8 million people, with 6.7 million results being received.
Xi'an city government deputy general secretary Zhang Fenghu said the analysis of the data indicates that the current epidemic prevention and control situation is still "complex and serious" in the city. Zhang said confirmed cases have been found outside areas locked with the virus, an indication that community transmission has occurred.
"The city will implement the bandh management. Only one person in each family is allowed to go out every two days to purchase daily necessities," he said. Zhang said except for those working in epidemic prevention and control and critical industries, others should carry certificates issued by their communities if they have to go out.
All facilities will be temporarily closed except those dealing with epidemic prevention and livelihood security. He said that people are being encouraged to work from home.
Zhang said residents of Xi'an are also urged not to leave the city unless necessary, and that traffic management departments have intensified inspections of outbound vehicles and passengers to prevent the spread of the virus.
Bus lines will be suspended in the city, as well as freight vehicles except those carrying daily necessities and epidemic prevention materials. Zhang said taxis and online ride-hailing vehicles have been banned from operating to and from medium and high-risk areas and outside urban areas.
There is sufficient supply of cereals, oil and vegetables and prices are basically stable. Regulators will closely monitor the supply and demand for market goods as well as changes in prices.
"We will take strict action against illegal activities such as price hikes, price bidding, selling counterfeit goods, and spreading and spreading false information about the epidemic," Zhang said.
"Communities should learn the medical needs of the groups, provide basic health services and help those who really need to go out for medical treatment with appropriate personal protection."
Ji Yingqiu, an official with the provincial education working committee, said city schools should start online classes, make full use of online education platforms, and prepare online learning and management plans.
As of Wednesday, 3,574 schools in Xi'an had been closed, affecting some 1.78 million students.
Off-campus training institutes will suspend all offline training activities for students and educational officers will guide schools to make arrangements for online learning, Gee said.