Fujian outbreak sourced to schools, factory

More than half the locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the new local outbreak in Fujian province are students and teachers at local schools and workers at a factory, showing clear signs of cluster infections, National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said at a news conference on Thursday.

Wan Lijun, an official with the Ministry of Education, said the new outbreak in Putian, Fujian province, was first found during random testing of two students at a primary school.

The testing mechanism, set up in Fujian in October, requires schools to test 10 percent of students every 15 days, which means all students would be tested over five months, Wan said.

The ministry encourages regular nucleic acid testing to be conducted in schools in border areas and places with frequent movement of inbound travelers, she said.

Schools should strengthen health monitoring of students, teachers and parents and the ministry encourages parents to reduce cross-provincial trips for the time being, she said.