SCHOOLS in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, has decided to delay the start of the upcoming autumn semester, which had been scheduled for Aug. 25, local education authorities said at a news conference Sunday.

“According to the current situation of epidemic prevention and control in Zhengzhou, we will implement online registration and courses during the postponement period,” said Li Huifang, deputy secretary-general of the municipal government. “After 14 consecutive days without new positive cases reported, we will organize students’ return to elementary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens at different times.”

As of Saturday, the city had reported a total of 138 local cases in the recent epidemic outbreak.

Henan reported five new locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, all of which were detected in Shangqiu, the Henan Health Commission said Sunday.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into a locally transmitted confirmed case surnamed Yin in Shangqiu and their family members after they failed to faithfully report their travel history.

“Their acts have caused a rebound of the COVID-19 epidemic in the city, as the epidemic prevention and control measures failed to follow up in time,” a statement from the local government read.

The mainland Sunday reported 13 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report yesterday.

Among the local cases, six each were reported in Jiangsu and Henan, and one in Hunan.

Hubei Province has for two consecutive days reported zero locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the provincial epidemic prevention and control headquarters said yesterday.

The province hit hard by COVID-19 last year registered zero new locally transmitted cases Saturday and Sunday after the latest round of sporadic infections occurred, said the headquarters.

(Xinhua)