All 4.7 million residents of a city in China’s northwest Xinjiang region are being tested for COVID-19 after a single asymptomatic case was detected there, officials said.
Local authorities launched the mass testing program in Kashgar, after a 17-year-old girl who didn’t have any symptoms tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday during a routine screening at the garment factory where she works.
By Sunday afternoon, another 137 asymptomatic cases were identified in Kashgar — all linked to another factory where the girl’s parents work, according to a statement from Xinjiang’s regional health commission. It’s the highest number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases reported in a day in China in more than six months.
Testing of the entire city is expected to be completed by Tuesday. At least 2.8 million people have been tested so far, according to Xinjiang’s regional health commission.
Meanwhile, lockdown measures have been imposed and all schools in the region are closed until Friday.
