The COVID-19 situation in Haizhu district remains challenging and complex. We are at a critical stage in curbing the further spread of COVID-19. In order to effectively protect the health and safety of residents, Haizhu district has published notification Strengthening COVID-19 Control and Prevention Measures in Haizhu District (8). To address some of the issues of great concern to the residents, such as transportation, logistics, medical services, and more, we have prepared the following FAQs.

Q: Why did Haizhu District publish Notification (8)?

A: From Nov 5 to 7, the movements of people and vehicles was greatly reduced in Haizhu district, which helped curb the spread of COVID-19 to a certain extent. However, there are still cases detected in non-controlled areas, and the risk of infection remains high. Following experts' advice, Haizhu district made the decision to publish Notification (8), which extends the control measures stipulated in Notification (7) till 24:00 Nov 11. Such measures include limiting people's movements, temporary traffic control, working from home, and suspending all business operations except those of essential service providers.

Q: Are there any changes to traffic control measures?

A: Temporary traffic control measures will remain in place. Metro and bus services will be temporarily unavailable. Metro transit stations located within controlled areas will continue to offer transit services. Vehicles responsible for meeting the city’s basic needs of transportation, medical service, emergencies and COVID-19 control and prevention can be granted access to roads in accordance with relevant COVID-19 control measures. Other vehicles (including electric motorbikes and bikes) are required to remain stationary in principle.

If residents must go out for necessary activities such as seeking medical assistance, they can either use vehicles hired through online car-hailing apps or taxis.

Q: Should residents who work in a different district continue to work from home?

A: These residents should continue to work from home in principle. Individuals who work in public utilities, medical care, emergency and COVID-19 control and prevention can travel to other districts with 24-hour negative PCR test results and relevant work IDs. Other vehicles (including electric motorbikes and bikes) should remain stationary in principle. Other people should continue to minimize travel, and are encouraged to work as volunteers in their local communities to help fight COVID-19 and serve the residents.

Q: Can students or teachers living in Haizhu district return to schools located in another district?

A: No, they can't. Apart from taking PCR tests and seeking emergent medical assistance, residents should not go out, visit others or gather together. Each household can only send one person to shop for daily necessities or pick up orders in a contactless manner per day at designated time slots. It is recommended to limit the time you spent outside as much as possible.

Q: What are the consequences of violating regulations in the controlled areas and going out unauthorized?

A: Residents in controlled areas are asked to strictly abide by the COVID-19 control and prevention regulations. Please do not go out unauthorized and have any contact with people outside the controlled areas, as such behaviors may lead to the further spread of COVID-19. Violations such as damaging the barricade or going out unauthorized will be dealt with seriously. If you are in an emergency, you can submit an application to the Grid Administrator to get help. Local staff will provide necessary assistance.

Q: Demand for daily necessities grew significantly during the stay-at-home period. What measures will be taken to ensure supply and timely delivery?

A: Haizhu district has continued to strengthen the supply mechanism. It has mobilized resources from the Guangzhou General Warehouse and warehouses in surrounding areas of online fresh produce through e-commerce platforms. The district issued 470 travel permits to the freight trucks of these platforms. Platforms such as Pupu, Eleme and Meituan have borrowed more than 1,000 riders from other districts. Inventory of stores and supermarkets has been raised from two to three times of their usual stock to five times. Patrolling is conducted to monitor the dynamic trends in supply and inventory, so that goods can be replenished in time to ensure sufficiency of daily necessities.

Q: What COVID-19 protocols should residents, stall owners and volunteers of controlled areas follow?

A: Residents of controlled areas should abide by COVID-19 control and prevention requirements. They should wear masks properly throughout the PCR testing process. They should not gather together or talk to each other. It is strictly forbidden to open stalls for business without authorization, or have contact with or pass objects to people outside the controlled areas. Volunteers must take proper personal precautionary measures during work. They are only allowed to travel between their dormitory and workplace, and shall be subject to closed-loop administration. Once the volunteering work has been completed, they should go through the health administration procedure properly upon returning to their own communities.

Q: What are the mechanisms in place to ensure demands of residents inside the controlled areas can be addressed?

A: Haizhu district have set up a volunteer team consisting of officers from the cooperatives and communities, party members and resident volunteers. The volunteer team provides assistance in grid management, supply distribution, and serving people with special needs. For example, the volunteer team called 852 persons with disabilities to help address their practical difficulties. In order to provide personalized medical care services to people with special needs, multiple hospitals including Guangdong No 2 Hospital launched fast-track services to patients on dialysis. In the event that pets are left unattended because their owners have been transported to quarantine hotels, pet shops and Grid Administrators will be engaged to deliver pet boarding service or door-to-door pet-sitting service.