Vice premier urges efforts to beef up COVID-19 control in Hainan

SANYA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has stressed efforts to consolidate and expand the achievements in containing COVID-19 in Hainan Province.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during her recent inspection trip in the southern island province, where more than 6,200 confirmed cases have been reported since the beginning of August.

The vice premier visited quarantine centers, communities, makeshift hospitals and transportation facilities in several cities including the coastal resort city of Sanya.

She underlined the importance of increasing nucleic acid testing to quickly detect the source of infection, preparing sufficient quarantine centers and makeshift hospitals, strengthening community-level epidemic control, and coordinating epidemic containment with economic and social development.

Noting that the epidemic situation has been stabilized across the province, Sun called for closer monitoring of vulnerable locations, venues and groups to guard against possible new outbreaks.

Efforts are needed to ensure the supply of daily necessities and meet the people's needs for medications and medical treatment, she added.