TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After Beijing announced it was going into lockdown to try and contain the Wuhan virus on Sunday (Feb. 9), Shanghai on Monday (Feb. 10) followed suit and said it is also implementing "closed-off management" (封閉式管理) measures for communities in the city.
On Monday morning, the Shanghai city government announced that "closed community management" (小區封閉管理) has been implemented in the metropolis' 13,000 residential complexes. It added that most of these communities have also implemented tight restrictions on entering and exiting their facilities.
Shanghai joins three other top tier Chinese cities that have gone into lockdown mode, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing. According to CCTV News, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government held a news conference on the prevention and control of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) at the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention (SCDC). During the press conference, Zhu Qinhao (朱勤皓), director-general of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, confirmed that most of the city's 13,000 residential communities had implemented the "closed community management" measures and entrance and exit restrictions.
Zhu said that the measures include strict controls over those coming and going and that those who enter must register and have their temperature checked. If someone's body temperature is found to be abnormal, local authorities must be notified, and the person in question will be examined by medical personnel.
Gu Honghui (顧洪輝), deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal Government and director of the office leading the group tasked with the epidemic prevention in the city, said that at this stage, the main prevention and control strategy adopted by Shanghai involves establishing three protective "rings."
The first "ring" is strict controls on all major entryways into the city, including the airport, railway station, roads, and waterways. Those entering these areas must first have their temperature checked, and if they have a fever, they must be transferred to a clinic for further examination.
The second is the prevention of proliferation within communities by coordinating with police stations and community health centers and going door-to-door to interview residents. The authorities are calling on communities to screen residents including self-quarantines, community interviews, and personal health declarations to standardize the implementation of isolation of patients and establish centralized monitoring of these patients.
The third layer of protection is a focus on screening and treatment. Over 110 patient clinics have been set up in the city to monitor patients with fevers.