Coronavirus: flights to Chinese city suspended and residents told to make themselves available for mass testing
- Kashgar in Xinjiang orders residents to stay in their own neighbourhoods while citywide tests are carried out
- A government worker says flights and rail services were suspended for two hours on Saturday but people who test negative will be allowed to leave city
Kashgar city imposed travel restrictions on Saturday while citywide Covid-19 tests were carried out.
Residents were requested to stay in their residential areas while medical staff carried out nucleic tests, a staff member with Kashgar Epidemic Control Command Headquarters who declined to be named, said.
Travel to and from the city in Xinjiang was also restricted, with flights and trains being suspended for two hours during the afternoon.
“You can leave the city once you are issued a negative test report,” the staff member added.
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They said they had not been briefed on what triggered the tests or whether there had been a new outbreak.
Xinjiang health authorities announced on Saturday night that an asymptomatic case had been found during a routine screening in Shufu county, which is also known as Konaxahar in Uygur.
It is not clear if there were other cases.
Urumqi, the capital of the far western region, and other parts of Xinjiang endured a strict two-month lockdown earlier this year after hundreds of cases were reported.
News that flights to Kashgar had been cancelled triggered a flurry of speculation about the cause on social media.
The rumour mill intensified after the city’s police posted and then deleted a message on Weibo reminding people to wear masks.
“Everyone wear your masks properly and pay attention to personal safety. Don’t believe or spread rumours to avoid unnecessary panic. All is subject to official notification,” the message read.
Local residents contacted by the South China Morning Post said they had been told to be prepared for nighttime tests.
“We received the call from the community neighbourhood committee about 5pm this afternoon that there will be a nucleic tests tonight, though we are not sure when or how it will be carried out,” said a receptionist at a hotel in the city centre.
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“We were not told why or whether there has been an outbreak.”
The staff said guests in the hotel were allowed outside but had been told to remain nearby in case they needed to be tested.
A tourist from Guangdong who called herself Aimee said she had been told by her hotel to come back for a test in the afternoon.
“All the tourists and residents were very cooperative,” Aimee said, adding there were still people out on the streets. “We were allowed to wander about freely after the test.
“My flight was tomorrow and I really hope travel can take place as scheduled.”
