The Chinese port city of Qingdao will launch COVID-19 testing for its entire population of 9 million over the next five days — after a dozen locally transmitted cases were reported there, according to a new report.
As of Sunday, Qingdao reported 12 locally transmitted cases — all connected to a hospital treating imported infections, according to a Monday statement from the city’s Municipal Health Commission obtained by CNN.
The Qingdao Chest Hospital has been placed on lockdown and 114,862 people — including staff and patients — have tested negative as of Monday, according to the report.
Every resident of the city of 9 million will now be tested — a move similar to the dire measures taken in Beijing and other Chinese cities that previously saw coronavirus clusters.
Since mid-August, China has largely kept COVID-19 at bay, with only imported cases reported.
Tourism has resumed, with more than 600 million visitors arriving earlier this month for Golden Week, a national holiday around the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Now the new cases in the eastern coastal city known for its beaches raise concerns of a potential spike related to the holiday, CNN reported.
However, the specific source of the cluster remains under investigation.
A total of 85,578 coronavirus cases and 4,634 deaths have been reported in China, the network reported, citing the country’s National Health Commission.
