Urumqi further relaxes COVID-19 rules

Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, will no longer require people to possess a negative nucleic acid test result to use public transportation or to enter public places, the local government said on Monday.

At a news conference, local government officials announced that the city has decided to further relax COVID-19 epidemic control measures to minimize the impact on people and boost economic activity.

Also, the city will no longer conduct mass nucleic acid tests. Only people working in high-risk posts such as express delivery, hotels, transportation, construction sites and supermarkets are required to get tested, officials said.

They added that Urumqi residents no longer need to register their personal information to purchase medicine for fever, coughs, sore throats or infections either online or in drugstores.

On Sunday, businesses started reopening, including shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, cinemas, gyms, parks and ski resorts.