Zhengzhou begins gradual re-opening as infections wane

Zhengzhou, Henan province is lifting static management of communities and resuming normal operations to help the city restore order.

Communities that report no positive nucleic acid tests for seven days were allowed to open starting Tuesday. By Thursday, about 60 percent of its 6,398 communities have been re-opened, said Li Huifang, deputy secretary-general of the municipal government, at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

About 90 percent of the city's industrial enterprises above designated size have resumed normal production and operation, and 93.4 percent of its 342,000 workers in companies on the industrial white list are on duty, she said.

This round of COVID-19 infection started from truck drivers at the Wanbang Market from outside the city on Oct 4, and spread through railway stations, hospitals and schools, according to the government.

It reported 167 new infections, including 132 asymptomatic carriers, on Wednesday. The cases mainly came from the Zhongyuan and Erqi districts and the Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone.

Li said though the virus has strong immune escape and transmission capabilities, its virulence is weak. The city has reported no patients who are critically ill, so there is no need to feel panic or anxious, she added.

The government will work to realize zero-infection at the community level and restore normal operation of society as soon as possible, officials said.