Beijing to carry out further mass nucleic acid screening

Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

(ECNS) -- Three rounds of mass nucleic acid screening will be carried out in 12 districts in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday to control the new outbreak of the pandemic, according to the city's press conference for COVID-19 prevention and control on Sunday.

The 12 districts include Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, Shijingshan, Fangshan, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Changping, Daxing, and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, said Wang Xiao'e, a senior official with the Beijing municipal health commission, at the press conference.

Clusters of infection caused by sporadic cases means the pandemic transmission risk still exists in widespread uncontrolled areas of the city, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy head of the Beijing municipal disease prevention and control center.

Pang also said that Beijing will strengthen the management of key industries, and that targeted nucleic acid testing will be conducted among the key group of workers engaged in parcels and takeout delivery, catering service, supermarkets, wholesale markets, hotels, public transportation, environmental sanitation, and property management.

Beijing reported 39 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 15 asymptomatic cases on Sunday, while 41 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital on the same day, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission on Monday.