No new COVID-19 cases in Shanghai on Wednesday

There were no new COVID-19 cases in Shanghai on Wednesday, the municipal government announced on Thursday morning.

There have been 16 locally transmitted cases in this new wave of infection which started on Jan 21.

Shanghai mayor Gong Zheng said on Wednesday that epidemic prevention and control over the past week has been orderly, accurate and effective, and the government is confident of doing a good job in dealing with the situation.

"For now, we believe that this new wave is controllable, and we're confident in the next step of taking measures to handle epidemic prevention and control," said Gong at a news conference at the conclusion of the city's annual sessions of the legislative and political advisory bodies.

He added that Shanghai's response to the epidemic over the past week can be characterized as such: taking the initiative to trace and identify all individuals who had potentially contracted the virus, taking swift action, and imposing accurate and orderly closed-loop management.

"All 16 local confirmed cases were discovered through proactive screening and tracing as disease prevention and control workers raced against time to identify affected public venues and individuals related to the confirmed patients," he said.

"The city imposed quarantine or control measures on close contacts, people who were in close contact with the close contacts, and other individuals related to the confirmed cases rather than simply expanding the screening measures to the mass public."

Gong reminded the public to continue practicing good personal hygiene habits such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, washing hands, and opening windows for ventilation. He also urged residents to refrain from taking unnecessary trips and reducing gathering at public venues during this period.

"With our joint efforts, I believe we can look forward to a healthy, safe and pleasant Spring Festival," Gong said.