Shenzhen steps up COVID controls, bars workers who refuse tests
Shenzhen authorities on Sunday stepped up COVID-19 restrictions by requiring its entire workforce to get tested amid a recent surge in infections.
Employers can bar staff who refuse to take COVID-19 tests from entering their workplaces and can also dock hours from their payrolls, according to a new measure announced by Shenzhen’s Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.
Workers would also be unable to receive salaries for the periods they were put under quarantine or medical watch if they were found to have violated official health control measures, the bureau said.
A recent outbreak that began in Guangdong province in late May has shown signs of easing. The province reported zero new domestic infections on Saturday, the second time it has achieved this since May 21. As of Sunday, a total of 225 COVID patients remained hospitalized in Guangdong.
On Friday, Shenzhen reported two domestic cases involving the Delta variant first discovered in India. The city’s Vice Mayor Tao Yongxin said the two cases were likely linked to earlier imported infections.
In Dongguan city, education officials announced guidelines for schools to follow in case of lockdowns. All schools are to be closed in locked-down districts and their classes would go online.
Meanwhile, the National Health Commission in Beijing said on Sunday that China had become the first country in the world to administer 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
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