Virus risk lowered for some Foshan residents

The coronavirus risk level of three residential buildings in a subdistrict of Foshan, Guangdong province, was lowered from medium risk to low risk on Friday morning, the city's anti-COVID-19 headquarters announced in a statement.

The change in the Guicheng subdistrict of the city's Nanhai district suggests that all of Foshan, located about 20 kilometers from Guangzhou, may also be at reduced risk, the statement said.

But the headquarters urged residents not to relax their vigilance against the coronavirus and to continue to pay special heed to personal hygiene in the weeks to come.

"Residents should immediately seek medical help when they have symptoms, including fever, cough and sore throat," the statement said.

A statement released by the Guangdong Health Commission on Friday said the province had no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Thursday — the 10th consecutive day that the country's most populous province had reported no locally transmitted cases.

However, Guangdong, which has a population of more than 125 million, reported that eight imported cases had been confirmed, along with another eight imported asymptomatic carriers on Thursday.

The imported COVID-19 patients include seven who were detected in Guangzhou and one in Zhaoqing. The imported asymptomatic carriers include five reported in Guangzhou, two in Jiangmen and one in Zhaoqing.

As of Thursday, Guangdong had reported a total of 2,745 confirmed cases, including 1,179 that were imported. Currently, 144 patients are in the hospital for treatment.