No new virus cases in S China's Guangdong since Friday

The novel coronavirus epidemic situation remains largely stable in South China's Guangdong province, with no new local infections reported following six domestically-infected cases announced on Friday, according to a provincial health official.

A 41-year-old woman, who worked at a Hema Fresh supermarket in Shenzhen, was confirmed a COVID-19 patient after she returned to her hometown in Shanwei, Guangdong.

Three of her family members and two of her co-workers at the supermarket tested positive for the virus but had no symptoms.

The six became the first domestically-infected cases since April 29 in the province, with only imported cases reported before them since that date.

On Thursday, Shenzhen authorities announced a sample from a chicken wing imported from Brazil tested positive for coronavirus.

The epidemic situation remains largely stable in Guangdong but epidemic control remains grave and complicated with the risk of infections imported from other parts of the country and the world still there, said Duan Yufei, director of the provincial health commission, at a press conference on Sunday. The risk of scattered new cases still exists.

Job sites and residences in Shenzhen and Shanwei related to the new cases were put under strict management. Cinemas in Shanwei were suspended.

Since the new infections were found, 37,669 samples in Shanwei and 83,413 samples in Shenzhen, including samples from people and the environment, have been tested, Duan said.

Daily testing capacity in Shanwei has been boosted from 2,500 to 26,000. Shenzhen has a daily testing capacity of 103,000. Daily capacity of more than 55,000 can be shifted to places in need in Guangdong, Duan said.

A total of 9,989 samples had been tested from 36 Hema Fresh supermarkets and 12 businesses related to the chain in Guangdong, with a focus on imported frozen meat and aquatic products, said Mai Jiaomeng, director of the provincial administration for market regulation.

The province has stepped up testing at farm produce markets, supermarkets, food companies, cold storage facilities, and cold-chain logistics firms.

Three samples from frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil and stored in a facility in Longgang district, Shenzhen, tested positive.

The virus on the chicken wings was not active and not able to infect humans, said Deng Huihong, director of director of the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The farm produce market in Guangdong remains safe and under control, Mai said.