SHIJIAZHUANG, capital of North China’s Hebei Province, has prohibited all residents and vehicles from leaving the city, as part of the city’s latest efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control, following its report of 50 newly confirmed local cases and 67 asymptomatic cases Wednesday.

The city’s Vice Mayor Meng Xianghong announced the restriction measures at a daily conference Thursday. “Residents, vehicles from Gaocheng district, the very high-risk area [in Shijiazhuang], must not leave the district.”

Three district officials have been given Party disciplinary warnings for their dereliction of duty in COVID prevention and control in Shijiazhuang, according to a notice issued by the municipal discipline inspection and supervisory authorities.

The notice confirms the punishments to Feng Zhiqiang, deputy chief of the Gaocheng District government and deputy commander of the district’s emergency response headquarters, Nie Xiaonan, a township official in Gaocheng and Sun Guohui, a village cadre in Gaocheng.

According to the disciplinary punishment notice, officials were held responsible for the lack of the COVID prevention and control in Liujiazuo Village in the district.

On Jan. 3, a COVID-19 positive villager left the village against control measures.

In order to reduce COVID infection risks, Hebei has asked its residents not to go to Beijing if not absolutely necessary.

People who need to travel to Beijing should bring a negative nucleic acid test result within 72 hours before arriving to enter the capital.

Those people who live in Hebei and work in Beijing should bring three documents to enter the capital, specifically the residential identification from their communities, certificate of employment from their workplace in Beijing and a negative nucleic acid test result within 14 days. In particular, they should bring a negative nucleic acid test result within 72 hours during the first entry.

(SD-Agencies)