Guangzhou COVID-19 Update for Nov 16, 2022

On the afternoon of Nov 16, Guangzhou held a COVID-19 Prevention and Control Press Conference to brief the latest epidemic situation in the city.

On Nov 15, Guangzhou reported 6,296 locally acquired COVID-19 cases, among which 17 were found in communities and the rest were found among people under centralized quarantine and in PCR testing conducted for people in high-risk areas and under closed-loop management. The city is still facing a complex and challenging situation with 6,060 new infections in Haizhu district, most of which were still detected in Kangle-Lujiang Area of Fengyang Subdistrict.

Zhang Yi, Deputy Director General and Spokesperson of the Guangzhou Health Commission, said that Guangzhou is pooling all sorts of resources at all levels to fight the uphill battle in Haizhu district. On November 15, 4,600 medical staff were sent to the district and other high-risk areas to team up with local community workers and volunteers, providing door-to-door PCR tests to each and every household.

Zhang Yi pointed out that PCR testing proves to be the most effective measure to ensure early detection of infections and transmission risks. All residents shall cooperate and get tested in an efficient and orderly manner.

Fu Xiaochu, Member of the Standing Committee of the Haizhu District Committee and the Executive Deputy Head of Haizhu district, introduced that 176,900 door-to-door individual PCR tests were conducted among high-risk groups of people in key controlled areas in the district, with an aim to locate positive cases more quickly.

Fu Xiaochu introduced that the shelter hospital in Pazhou was running smoothly on the whole. Catering services were provided in the temporary entity, serving nearly 80,000 meals per day including carefully-prepared meals for children. 20,000 caring packages of daily necessities (including towel, toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel and other supplies) and COVID-19 antigen self-testing kits were distributed.

Fu Xiaochu introduced that 6,095 people from social organizations and industry associations in the district participated in volunteer services, raising an epidemic response donation with a total value of 1,668,800 yuan. 41,300 volunteers participated in the epidemiological investigation, 24-hour hotlines, goods supply, and medicine deliveries.

On whether the prevention and control measures in Haizhu district will be adjusted, Fu Xiaochu said, "at present, we are evaluating the effectiveness of the early lockdown measures to make deliberate decisions and adjust dynamically according to the needs of prevention and control. We will keep you posted and please pay close attention to the official release."

Wu Weihua, Deputy Director General of the Guangzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau, said that as a comprehensive gateway city, Guangzhou has a large inflow of passengers from abroad. As of 17:00 on Nov 16, Guangzhou saw 5,376 inbound flights, transferring nearly one million passengers from 170 countries and regions.

Wu Weihua introduced that, in order to build the front line of defense to "guard against imported cases", Guangzhou took the lead in establishing a national command mechanism of COVID-19 response at the airport, and established the "1+9" on-site headquarters led by the Guangzhou Municipal Government and participated by nine institutions directly under the customs authority, airport authority, and civil aviation administration at the national and provincial levels. Nearly 7,000 people participated in facilitating the unclogged operation of inbound flights and cargo. For inbound passengers, the whole-process closed-loop management is implemented from the airport to the quarantine hotel. For the entry of important business personnel, the "tailored measures for each enterprise" will apply. In view of the rise of inbound passengers after the cancellation of the flight circuit breaker mechanism, we will continue to strengthen the support capacity of the airport and improve precise prevention and control.

Qi Yaoming, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Co., Ltd., said that the announcement of the 20 measures to optimize epidemic prevention and control is definitely a positive stimulus to the international business of the airport. First, it will become easier for international passengers to travel. The number of international flights in Guangzhou is expected to increase significantly in this winter and next spring. Second, support capacity for international passengers will be improved. Third, international flight fares will gradually return to a reasonable level.

Qi Yaoming introduced that since July 31, all international inbound passenger flights have been directed to Terminal 1 for operation. In addition, the airport is also ready to resume the use of the second corridor in the east of Terminal 1.