SEVERAL Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Zhengzhou have further optimized their anti-COVID-19 measures with some places allowing residents with minimal social interactions to be free from mass testing.

Several districts in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province have advised residents to take nucleic acid testing based on their needs. Guangzhou’s Yuexiu and Liwan district authorities announced Sunday night and early Monday morning that the elderly who have been staying at home, students who take online classes, employees who work from home and other people with minimal social interactions don’t need to take nucleic acid tests Monday if they don’t need to leave home. It aims to reduce infection risks and save resources.

“From an epidemiological point of view this is a sound approach that other regions can follow suit,” said Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based medical expert Monday.

This can save money and reduce infection risks for those who usually stay at home since gatherings at testing spots may increase the risks, Zhuang said.

Along with Guangzhou, some other cities are optimizing prevention measures. In Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, residents who live in communities with no positive cases confirmed in the past five days don’t need to participate in the latest round of mass nucleic acid testing.

Zhengzhou in Central China’s Henan Province has timely reviewed the high-risk regions and suspended mass screening in low-risk regions. In Shanghai, free nucleic acid testing has been extended to Dec. 31 this year. For the convenience of local residents, communities are required to arrange testing services at least twice a week.

A Wuhan resident surnamed Lin said Monday that she and many of her friends living in the districts of Jianghan and Jiang’an are free to enter and leave their residential compounds. “Static management was ended in some residential compounds today,” Lin said.

These moves are hailed by experts and residents, who said that public opinion can help local authorities explore better ways to tackle increasing cases.

China released a circular on further optimizing COVID-19 responses, announcing 20 prevention and control measures Nov. 11. Optimizing the measures does not mean loosening prevention and control, the authorities said.

In regions with no infections, nucleic acid tests should be conducted among people in high-risk positions or in key groups based on the ninth edition of China’s COVID-19 control protocols, yet it is not allowed to expand test coverage, according to the circular.

There were also discussions on whether COVID-19 positive cases can be quarantined at home.

The ninth edition of the protocols said positive cases should be placed under centralized quarantine or sent to designated hospitals for treatment.

Li Dongzeng, a medical expert at Beijing’s Xiaotangshan Hospital, has seen some elderly people with COVID-19 developing severe symptoms, according to the Beijing Daily on Monday.

For asymptomatic carriers, most people are willing to stay at home for medical observation, Li said.

However, it requires health workers to assess the household ventilation, sewerage and waste treatment and other factors to ensure that their neighbors are safe, Li noted.(Global Times)