207 exposed to novel coronavirus transferred to Tianjin central quarantine

A massive effort in Tianjin to transfer quarantined people who were colleagues of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus from the passenger transport section of Tianjin bullet trains was completed late Saturday.

A total of 207 colleagues who had close contact with people with confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and were quarantined in the closed control area of the passenger transport section of Tianjin bullet trains since Jan 22 have been transferred to central quarantine areas in hospitals at Xiqing, Wuqing, Hedong and Hebei districts.

The transfer took place from Friday evening to midnight Saturday.

Among them, 41 were from the red area, where there was a workshop with close contact with the confirmed cases, and 166 were from the yellow area, a construction site in the section, where a construction project was underway before Jan 21.

"The transfer and the quarantine measures are carried out for the health and safety of all citizens in Tianjin and for the needs of epidemic prevention and control. We've made the utmost determination and efforts to control risks to the minimum at all costs," Han Jinyan, director of the disease prevention division of the Tianjin Health Commission, said.

According to the person in charge of central quarantines, careful preparations have been made in these areas to ensure that each person is isolated from any other person and has a separated toilet.

As the overall plan is implemented, various details are carefully considered, such as no carpets in all rooms, and the air conditioning and ventilation systems in all areas must meet standards, she said.

In addition, the temperature of every person under quarantine is checked twice a day. Catering, psychological counseling and protective measures, such as preventing other people from entering the quarantined area, also are in place. Isolation belts are set up, strict disinfection is conducted and other protective measures are implemented in every quarantine area.

Statistics indicated that since Jan 21, within the passenger transport section of Tianjin bullet trains, 14 cases, including workers and some of their relatives, have been confirmed as pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.

The second case in Tianjin was a person working in the section who had been to Wuhan for business. And the fifth, sixth, eighth, 17th, 20th, 22nd and 28th confirmed cases were also colleagues in the section.

In addition, the 11th confirmed patient was a relative of the sixth. The 12th, 13th and 16th patients were relatives of the fifth; the 33rd patient is a relative of the 17th; and the 35th patient is a relative of the 20th, according to Jinyun news.

In addition to the previous campaign, a total of 238 people under home quarantine who were working in the passenger section, not in the yellow and red zones, and who were quarantined previously at the section have been transferred to the central quarantine areas in pinpointed hotels in Hedong and Hebei districts.

None of the above people have fever symptoms at present. The transfer was finished by midnight on Saturday.

In addition, a total of 259 remaining staff members at the passenger transport section of the Tianjin bullet trains, who have been staying home for quarantine, are still under medical observation at home.

The disease control departments of their affiliates are carrying out stricter quarantine measures with them.