Sichuan hot spot achieves zero-COVID status

Linshui county in Guang'an, Sichuan province, reported 29 asymptomatic cases on Sunday, said Wang Ying, the vice-mayor of Guang'an, said at a news conference on Monday.

For four consecutive days, from Thursday to Sunday, all the locally transmitted confirmed cases and asymptomatic cases in Linshui were reported in controlled areas — meaning the county had achieved zero-COVID status at the community level, Wang said.

Sichuan's latest bout with COVID-19 started in Linshui on May 9, when the county reported three asymptomatic cases. The local outbreak is believed to be Sichuan's most serious since January 2020, the Sichuan Health Commission said.

Linshui had accumulated 175 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 1,033 local asymptomatic cases as of Sunday.

It conducted five rounds of mass coronavirus tests covering all 1.01 million residents to achieve zero-COVID status at the community level, county authorities said.