The Chinese authorities have locked down a city in Inner Mongolia and ordered coronavirus tests for 3 million people in Tianjin after new Covid-19 cases were detected.
The Tianjin authorities ordered the mass testing in the Binhai New Area after five new cases were detected on Friday.
More than 1.7 million people in Binhai New Area of Tianjin municipality have taken their nucleic acid tests as of 11am on Sunday, CCTV reported. A total of 7,409 medical personnel worked on the front line.
The tests started on Saturday morning. Rain and snowfall over the weekend didn't stop Tianjin residents from voluntarily cooperating with the campaign.
It has been months since the city had detected a local COVID-19 case. But Tianjin still responded quickly, announcing it was entering a "war time" status and effectively organizing mass testing.
In Yaxinyuan community of Binhai New Area, it only took each resident one minute to get tested. The process included scanning a QR code, showing ID, checking body temperatures and collecting throat swabs. The tests were conducted in the community so residents only needed to go downstairs.
People line up to undergo Covid-19 tests at a makeshift testing center in Tianjin on Saturday
Tianjin has found 11 COVID-19 cases in the latest outbreak since the first case was detected on November 8.
One of the infected, surnamed Wang, worked on cold chain packing and transportation. More cases were found after all residents in Wang's community Kanhaixuan got tested.
On Thursday night, the city announced four cases in Kanhaixuan, prompting the community's closure. The following day, Binhai district announced it would conduct testing for all residents within two or three days.