EAST China’s Fujian Province reported 59 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one local asymptomatic carrier Monday, the provincial health commission said yesterday.

The confirmed cases were reported in the cities of Xiamen, Quanzhou and Putian, and the new asymptomatic carrier was detected in Putian.

The province has reported a total of 102 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases since Sept. 10. Twenty-one local asymptomatic carriers are currently under concentrated quarantine and medical observation.

Meanwhile, 3,597 close contacts are also under medical observation, according to the health commission.

As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Xiamen had reported 35 locally transmitted confirmed cases and one asymptomatic carrier in the latest resurgence, according to the city’s COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. An area in the city’s Tongan District has been classified as high risk after cluster infections were reported in a factory there.

The city has started a citywide nucleic acid testing, authorities said yesterday.

Colleges, primary and high schools, and vocational schools will have to move their courses online, while kindergartens have been told to suspend operations.

Xiamen residents have been advised not to leave the city unless necessary, and those who want to leave must present a green health code and provide a negative nucleic acid test result within 48 hours before departure.

Long-distance passenger bus service from Xiamen to other areas has also been suspended effective yesterday.

Passengers who have booked tickets can get a free refund, according to the official WeChat account of the company in charge of the city’s long-distance bus service.

A citywide nucleic acid testing also started yesterday afternoon in Putian. As of Monday, 85 people had tested positive in Putian, consisting of 64 confirmed cases and 21 asymptomatic carriers, said Cai Guoping, deputy head of the city’s COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters.

To curb the spread of the virus, Fujian expressway authorities have enforced traffic control at dozens of expressway toll gates across the province.

In another development, the country has updated its protocol on mass testing to better respond to possible resurgence caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Suppose mass nucleic acid testing needs to be carried out in a city with more than 5 million people. In that case, it shall be completed within three days, according to the updated protocol from the National Health Commission yesterday.

The time limit was set at three to five days for cities of the same size in the previous version of the protocol introduced in February this year.

For cities with less than 5 million people, the time limit for completing city-wide testing remains unchanged at two days.

When necessary, cities with a population of more than 5 million can apply for national assistance to complete the testing within the time frame, according to the updated protocol. (Xinhua)