Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

ALL travelers coming or returning to Shenzhen from cities not designated as risk areas must have negative 48-hour nucleic acid test results, according to the city’s latest COVID-19 travel policy, which was issued Wednesday.

Travelers must take a nucleic acid test upon arrival and avoid attending gatherings and dinner parties or going to crowded places.

Residents leaving the city must present negative 48-hour nucleic acid testing results, according to the policy.

Travelers coming or returning to the city from high-risk areas for COVID are subject to a seven-day home quarantine. They must hold negative 24-hour nucleic acid test results and report their health condition on the “深i您” WeChat miniprogram or to their communities before arriving in Shenzhen or within 24 hours upon arrival.

Nucleic acid tests on the first, third, fifth and seventh day are required.

Travelers from areas with community COVID outbreaks must undergo a three-day home quarantine plus a four-day health monitoring. They must also hold negative 24-hour nucleic acid test results and report their health condition before arriving in Shenzhen or within 24 hours upon arrival.

Nucleic acid tests on the first, third, fifth and seventh day are required. During the health monitoring period, these people must stay at home and can only go out for a nucleic acid test.

Travelers from areas with local COVID cases are subject to a three-day health monitoring at home. They must also hold negative 24-hour nucleic acid test results and report their health condition before arriving in Shenzhen or within 24 hours upon arrival.

Three nucleic acid tests are required on a daily basis. During the health monitoring period, these people must stay at home. In the following four days, they must travel only between their residences and workplaces.

Travelers from cities containing high-risk areas should take three COVID tests daily and avoid meeting visitors. They must hold negative 48-hour nucleic acid test results and travel only between their residences and workplaces within seven days.

Point-to-point transfer, which means sending travelers from public transport stations to their communities, are provided for travelers from designated areas and cities.

Separately, Shenzhen has lowered the price of COVID-19 nucleic acid tests to no more than 13.5 yuan (US$1.88) per person for a single test and no more than 2.8 yuan per person for a group test from Nov. 20, according to the city’s healthcare security bureau.

This is not the first time that the city has cut testing prices, in a bid to help reduce costs for residents.

To improve the efficiency of COVID testing and follow-up work, institutions that carry out nucleic acid testing are required to mainly adopt group tests, with each group consisting of 10 people.