CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Friday, August 28, 2020 | 5 CHINA Xinjiang making best Harvest of opportunity effort to contain virus’ spread, health chief says By MAO WEIHUA in Urumqi early as possible, he added. and CUI JIA By the end of Wednesday, Xin- jiang had 107 confirmed COVID- Since July 15, the Xinjiang Uygur 19 cases and 38 asymptomatic autonomous region has been striv- cases, with 2,506 people still ing to contain the spread of COV- under medical observation. No ID-19 to protect the lives and newly confirmed COVID-19 cases health of people of all ethnic have been reported in Xinjiang groups, the chief health official of since Aug 16. the region said on Thursday. What’s more, the region wasted “The region has taken decisive no time investigating the origins measures to cut off the spread of of the virus, swiftly cutting off pos- the virus,” Mutalif Roz, director of sible channels of transmission and the region’s health commission, screening close contacts and put- said at a news conference held in ting them under medical observa- Urumqi, the region’s capital. “We tion, Mutalif said. stick to targeted and law-based To ensure sufficient daily food measures in COVID-19 prevention supplies for all people while they and control, and prioritize screen- are staying at home as a part of the ings and disinfections of key pla- effort to contain the virus, the ces to eliminate the risks of virus region has ramped up the produc- transmission and spreading.” tion of vegetables, fruit, meat, To contain the epidemic, the eggs, dairy products, grains and region has suspended gatherings other essentials. Measures have and group activities, and closed up been taken to crack down on mis- residential areas in the worst-hit behavior like price gouging, areas. It has also intensified preven- hoarding, profiteering and mak- tion and control efforts at train sta- ing and selling substandard goods A man tries to pick up seaweed carried ashore by waves churned up by Typhoon Bavi in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Thursday. Bavi tions, bus stations and airports by to ensure that markets are ade- made landfall on the North Pyongan province of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Thursday morning, also bringing gales and checking body temperatures and quately supplied and prices stay heavy rain to neighboring areas in Northeast China. LYU WENZHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY mobile phone-generated health stable, he said. codes, and redirecting inbound “During Eid al-Adha, or the ‘fes- travelers for medical observation at tival of sacrifice’, we increased dedicated facilities, he said. lamb and beef supplies across the “We call on residents in Urumqi region to fully satisfy the demand to refrain from making nonessen- of people of all ethnic groups, Researchers tial trips out of the city, and those making sure all consumers can who have to take such trips must access inexpensive, quality meat,” Hong Kong prepares take nucleic acid tests before leaving Mutalif said. discover to prevent the virus from spreading He added that besides releasing beyond the city,” Mutalif said. epidemic information in a timely On July 15, a 24-year-old woman manner, the region has also how plants from Urumqi tested positive for opened a 24-hour hotline to pro- for citywide testing the virus, making her the first vide timely responses to public locally transmitted COVID-19 case and media concerns. play defense in Xinjiang since February. Based Schools in Xinjiang have on epidemiological investigations delayed the autumn semester and Over 60 mainland healthcare staff have said in a joint statement on By ZHOU WENTING in Shanghai and lab tests, this round of out- will hold classes online, according Thursday that they will launch [email protected] break was associated with a gath- to the local education authority. arrived in the SAR to aid examinations community campaigns to ering, and the confirmed The delay applies to all kinder- encourage residents to take free A Shanghai research team has infections and asymptomatic cas- gartens, elementary schools, jun- By GU MENGYAN in Hong Kong a slow dip from a previous weekly tests. discovered the mechanism through es are mostly in Urumqi. ior and senior high schools in the [email protected] average of 49, Undersecretary for The more residents register for which plants respond to threats To help the city carry out high- region, with online classes due to Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said the tests, the more likely and from pathogens, which could pave quality nucleic acid testing, the start Sept. 1. Hong Kong is gearing up for at a news briefing. timely local transmission chains the way for creating plant resist- State Council Joint Prevention and The regional education depart- citywide free coronavirus testing Starting Friday, patrons are can be cut off, they said, also cit- ance to pathogen-caused diseases Control Mechanism sent 21 testing ment will provide teaching resour- as social distancing rules are to allowed to eat at Hong Kong res- ing multiple untraceable cases while maintaining a high crop teams from 12 provinces and coor- ces for online classes, while be partially eased starting on Fri- taurants from 5 am to 9 pm, three reported on a daily basis. yield, scientists said. dinated professionals from four schools are required to make day. hours more than during a previ- A restaurant worker surnamed According to the paper, which third-party institutions to conduct plans for online teaching and More than 5,000 medical pro- ous ban on dine-in services. Yip said she will sign up for the was published on the website of testing in Xinjiang. It has helped to organize classes. fessionals have signed up to Cinemas, beauty salons and test, although her employer had US-based journal Cell on Monday, lift Urumqi’s testing capability to assist during the two-week test- selected sports venues can subsidized one test two weeks scientists found that when the plant 800,000 people per day to ensure Contact the writers at ing plan, which will accept online reopen with limited capacity and ago for all the employees. detects the presence of a pathogen, the infections can be detected as [email protected] bookings on Saturday before stringent infection control meas- “It’s not only for us, but for din- certain proteins near the cell wall kicking off next Tuesday, accord- ures. People are exempted from ers at our place,” she said. “People will respond and the cell’s nucleus ing to Secretary for the Civil Ser- mandatory mask wearing when have to remove their masks when will initiate an appropriate defense vice Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who is exercising outdoors. eating. It’s better to ensure they by adjusting which genes are acti- Happy birthday coordinating the testing. A Food and Health Bureau won’t get the virus from us.” vated. More than 60 mainland doc- spokesman said the public must During Hong Kong’s third COV- The team was made up of Chi- tors and nurses have arrived in accept a new normal that sporad- ID-19 outbreak wave, there have nese and foreign scientists at the the city to help with the testing, ic cases and clusters will occur been at least seven restaurant- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress which may involve millions of from time to time, and that it’s linked clusters that include more Biology, part of the Center for Excel- people. not feasible to wait until there are than 15 confirmed patients. lence in Molecular Plant Sciences After inspecting a temporary no new cases at all before relax- Taxi driver Lee Wai-man told Affiliated with the Chinese Acade- testing center at Queen Elizabeth ing social distancing rules. China Daily he and his family my of Sciences. Stadium on Wednesday, Nip reas- However, other leisure venues members will definitely register Before their research, scientists sured Hong Kong residents that such as bars, gyms and karaoke for the test and called on the gov- understood that throughout evolu- all the settings are in line with lounges will remain closed. A ban ernment to arrange more regular tion, plants have developed mecha- infection control requirements. on public gatherings of more tests for taxi drivers. nisms to perceive the presence of a Hong Kong reported 21 new than two people has also been Lee’s concern echoed an appeal pathogen threat and mount COVID-19 cases on Thursday. extended to Sept 3. made on Thursday by the Hong responses to deter or eliminate the Eighteen of those cases were Chui added the government Kong Medical Association, which invading organism. But how the infected locally, and four of those will be cautious about a further suggested the government contin- information travels into the cells 18 have an unknown origin. relaxation of social distancing ue with its free testing program remained unclear. The city currently has 4,755 measures as unsourced cases, tailored for high-risk groups such The scientists also found that the confirmed infections. The deaths which accounted for 30 percent as taxi drivers, domestic helpers route used to transmit information of an 81-year-old woman and a of the past week’s count, indicate and elder-care workers. inside the plant cell can be 70-year-old man on Thursday that hidden local transmission The association also cautioned “hijacked” by pathogens. Panda Shun Shun enjoys a birthday treat in Hainan Tropical pushed the city’s COVID-19 fatali- chains still exist. that a negative reading of the test Some proteins from plant viruses Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden in Haikou, Hainan province, ties to 81.