Hebei province in northern China on Sunday completed a massive testing program to try to contain the country’s worst outbreak of coronavirus in months, according to Provincial Deputy Mayor Xu Jianpei.
About 17 million people were tested during the journey, more than 10.2 million of them in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang and 6.7 million in the city of Xingtai, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Mass testing began last Wednesday, as both cities reported the largest local outbreak in mainland China for months.
On Sunday, Hebei Province reported 82 cases of Covid-19 local transmission, according to the country’s National Health Commission. Among the new local cases, 77 were reported in Shijiazhuang, while five were confirmed in Xingtai.
Last week, China shut down Shijiazhuang, imposing some of the stricter measures, as the country largely contained the spread of the coronavirus in March.
Residents were banned from leaving the city and must be self-quarantined at home for seven days after taking the mandatory Covid-19 test. All public transport has been suspended, the main motorways have been blocked and the train and bus stations have been closed and flights have been canceled.