Shenzhen aims to ensure smooth gaokao amid outbreak

A total of 45,852 candidates in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, will participate in the annual college entrance examination from June 7 to 9.

As of Thursday, all candidates and examination staff in the city were expected to get tested for COVID-19. Meanwhile, all examination staff must have received an injection of a coronavirus vaccine, said Zheng Hongbo, deputy major of Shenzhen at a news conference held on Wednesday.

To curb the new outbreak since May 21, the municipal government has rolled out efficient and scientific epidemic control mechanisms, such as medical quarantine, mass testing, vaccination and disinfection.

A total of 15 asymptomatic carriers have been detected in the Yantian and Longgang districts in Shenzhen.

At present, more than 5,000 taxi drivers have volunteered to deliver candidates for free to examination sites.

To better ensure safe transportation for citizens, Shenzhen had carried out widespread public testing of drivers of buses, taxis and online hailed cars immediately after the outbreak began.

As coronavirus has been identified on the outer packaging of imported cold-chain food samples, the food will be withheld from sale and destroyed. Shenzhen has launched an insurance service for the imported cold-chain food industry, resolving the risk of property loss if frozen products test positive.

By the end of May, more than 400 insurance contracts have been signed, with the total insured amount exceeding 200 million yuan ($31.22 million).

To date, more than 1,000 volunteers have worked in 323 farmers' markets for epidemic prevention and control.