Chongqing relaxes COVID control measures

Staff members at Party and government institutions or enterprises in Chongqing who have mild COVID-19 symptoms can go to work if they wear a mask, according to a notice from the local COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters on Sunday.

Negative test results are no longer needed in those places, except for certain meetings or activities with special requirements, the notice said.

A negative test is also unnecessary in public places except eldercare and social welfare centers, prisons, nursery care centers and primary and middle schools.

Medical institutions also no longer require a negative test result except for new inpatients and their caregivers.

The notice said the city's districts and counties will retain certain sampling sites to serve residents as needed, and measures will be taken to meet residents' needs for medicine and medical consultations.

To reduce the ferocity of the Omicron variant, the headquarters suggested residents wear masks when participating in group activities or entering public places such as on public transportation. The pace of vaccinations and booster shots among the elderly will be accelerated.

Chongqing, a municipality of 32 million people, had reported more than 90,000 infections at the peak of its most recent outbreak, which began on Nov 1. Most cases were found in 11 districts in central urban areas of the city.