Notice on Strengthening COVID-19 Control and Prevention on a Continuous Basis (No. 23)

Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee, the State Council, the Provincial Party Committee, and the Provincial Government, and the guidance of the Guangdong Working Group of the Joint Control and Prevention Mechanism of the State Council, along with the joint efforts of all citizens, we have kept this round of the epidemic under control. However, due to the continuous spread of COVID-19 and its mutating overseas variants, we still face an arduous task in guarding against inbound cases and a domestic resurgence. We must remain vigilant. In order to balance our COVID-19 response with our economic and social development, we must not relax our efforts. We must further address all of our weaknesses and build a solid line of defense. The significant and effective measures to continuously strengthen the control and prevention of the epidemic are as follows:

1. Maintain vigilance in guarding against inbound cases. We shall strictly implement epidemic control and prevention policies in accordance with national and provincial requirements, carry out closed-loop management of all inbound travelers, and regulate management for quarantine sites. All personnel entering China from Guangzhou should cooperate with measures including inspections at the port, closed-loop transportation, medical quarantine, and community health monitoring after completing centralized quarantine. Airport and port staffs should remain under strict management, especially those in high-risk positions. These staff members should live in designated locations and must only travel between their residence and workplace. Control and prevention measures apply to both people and goods. Imported goods should be thoroughly checked and disinfected, and measures, such as the centralized management of imported cold chain food, should be established.

2. Strict measures to control community transmission. The protection network at all levels of the city, districts, streets, towns, and communities (villages) should be improved. The community three-person team mechanism should be in operation on an ongoing basis. If people have traveled to middle or high-risk areas, visited lockdown or partially lockdown areas, or been released from centralized isolation within the last 14 days, they should report relevant information to their community (village) as soon as possible and actively cooperate with the community three-person team to carry out investigations, home quarantine, health monitoring, and PCR testing. People with a yellow code should receive a PCR test, as required, as soon as possible.

3. Good personal protection. We request that everyone maintains a vigilant attitude and practices effective self-protection practices. Good practices must continue. Please, continue to wear masks, wash hands frequently, keep homes clean, use serving chopsticks, cook food thoroughly, cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, maintain good indoor ventilation, avoid gatherings, and maintain a social distance of more than one meter. Take the initiative to exercise self-health monitoring. If you experience a fever, dry cough, fatigue, decreased sense of smell and taste, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, conjunctivitis, myalgia, diarrhea, etc., you should report your health information through the Yuekang or Suikang program, wear a mask, and take other personal protective measures. Avoid taking public transportation, go to the nearest medical institution clinic (office) immediately if you have a fever and truthfully inform your healthcare worker of your epidemiological history. Each citizen should cooperate with medical workers by taking PCR tests, registering your correct and accurate name when purchasing specific drugs, getting vaccinated as soon as possible, and cooperating by displaying health codes at key places. People who do not use smart phones can apply for their own static health codes by their relatives, residential (village) committees, property management service companies; these health codes can be printed, and they should be carried by each relevant person at all times.

4. Reopen public places in an orderly fashion. Public places should improve management, control, and prevention measures. Public places must be equipped with necessary epidemic prevention materials and maintain effective cleaning, adequate ventilation, proper disinfection, and strict employee health management. They must promote pandemic control and prevention knowledge and ensure a good emergency response. Medical institutions, catering establishments, enclosed public places, cultural and tourist locations, religious places, hotels, farmer’s markets, pharmacies, funeral service agencies, and other key places shall have their exclusive access health codes. Visitors are required to scan their code, have their temperature checked, and wear masks. Enclosed entertainment venues (cinemas, theaters, singing and dancing entertainment venues (KTV), Internet cafes, etc.), indoor sections of tourist attractions, indoor sports venues should only take appointments and arrange visitors/customers for different time slots and limit the maximum reception capacity at 75%. Shopping malls, supermarkets, and other commercial places should require each visitor to present (scan) their health code, check their temperature, and wear a mask. The minimum distance between customers sitting at different tables in catering establishments should be no less than 1 meter, and customers should wear masks when they are not eating. Electronic payments are highly encouraged.

5. Continued control and prevention measures by government agencies, enterprises, and institutions. Government agencies, enterprises, and institutions should uphold their responsibilities, improve control and prevention management on a continuous basis, maintain adequate ventilation, ensure cleaning and disinfecting of public areas, and improve emergency plans. A employee health declaration and temperature monitoring system should be established. All visitors entering and exiting office buildings should register. The frequency and scale of meetings should be controlled, video conferencing and teleconferencing are encouraged, people should sit as far away as possible from each other, have meals at different time slots, and reduce gatherings. In accordance with the principle of who organizes an event holds the main responsibility for a large-scale event, epidemic control, prevention, and emergency plans should be formulated. Additionally, measures such as scanning codes, temperature measurements, and wearing masks should be implemented. All medical institutions at all levels must assume their main responsibilities and ensure no infection nor transmission within hospitals. Medical institutions and pharmacies should assume their role of being sentinel sites by carrying out nucleic acid screening in key areas, key industries, and on key personnel on a continuous basis. Special institutions such as prisons, mental health institutions, rescue management (placement) institutions, elderly care institutions, child welfare service institutions, and maternal and child service institutions shall strictly implement access control. All visitors are required to make appointments, have temperature measurements taken, scan their health codes, and wear masks. These institutions may also arrange for PCR tests to be performed.

6. Reopen schools in a carefully planned way. Schools at all levels (including kindergartens) should assume the main responsibility for control and prevention. Schools should ensure good control and prevention measures are implemented. The gradual resumption of offline teaching must be made in an orderly manner, and teacher/student health monitoring and early warning and handling of people with suspicious symptoms should be strengthened. The green channel between schools and medical institutions should be smooth, and the ventilation and disinfection of key places, such as classrooms, libraries, and sports venues, should be well regulated. Training institutions and child care centers are permitted to resume business on the premise that epidemic control and prevention measures are strictly implemented.

7. Safe travel. From 0:00 on July 3, the requirement of producing a negative PCR test result for leaving the city and/or the province will be scrapped. Traffic stations such as highways, railways, civil aviation, ports, and docks should streamline the influx and outflow routes of people to avoid crowds. Body temperatures and health codes of passengers entering and exiting ports (including airports) must be checked. The body temperatures of visitors to long-distance bus stations, port stations, railway stations, subway stations, and transportation hub affiliated bus stations must also be checked. Transportation stations and vehicles shall be cleaned and disinfected as required. Personnel entering any transportation station and taking public transportion shall wear masks, and the staff shall also use personal protection. Travel agencies organizing group tours out of Guangzhou or the province should strictly implement epidemic control and prevention measures. Tour groups should not go to high-risk areas, lockdown areas, nor partial lockdown areas. Travel agencies shall not accept anyone with a travel history to any of the above-mentioned areas within the last 14 days.

8. Strengthen responsibilities for epidemic control and prevention. The overall epidemic control and prevention system of the city should be strengthened. Party committees and governments at all levels, competent departments, employers, individuals, and families should uphold their responsibilities to ensure control and prevention measures remain in place. Supervision and inspection will be strengthened, and any entities or individuals that violate relevant regulations and cause transmission risks will be held accountable in accordance with the law. The competent departments of all districts and industries may adjust control and prevention measures in accordance with the actual situation in their jurisdictions and industries.

The current control and prevention measures for the Fangcun area of Liwan District will remain unchanged. This announcement will not apply to the Fangcun area until it meets the relevant requirements after an evaluation by the Liwan District COVID-19 Control and Prevention Command Center has been performed. Any relevant notice will be announced separately by the district authorities.

This notice shall come into effect on the date of issuance and remain effective until further notice. If the previous notice is inconsistent with this one, this notice shall prevail.

Guangzhou COVID-19 Control

and Prevention Command Center

July 2, 2021