Shenzhen loosens COVID test rules

Residents of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, will no longer be required to present negative nucleic acid test results when entering residential compounds, offices, restaurants, supermarkets or other public areas, according to a notice issued by the local epidemic prevention and control headquarters on Monday.

They will only need to scan a site code, which indicates their arrival, and present a green health code, the notice said.

For entering indoor public places with a dense population, including internet cafes, nightclubs, chess rooms, KTVs, bars, saunas and swimming pools, people are still required to present negative results of nucleic acid tests within 48 hours, the notice said.

Also, local residents will not be required to present nucleic acid test results when taking public transportation — only a green health code — according to an earlier notice on Saturday.

The city reported 146 new locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and 101 asymptomatic carriers on Sunday, according to the local health authority.