(Yicai Global) Nov. 14 -- Chinese cities, including Fuzhou in Fujian province, Hefei in Anhui province, and Shanghai, said they would cancel or suspend mass regional polymerase chain reaction testing for the coronavirus.

PCR testing will no longer be conducted on an administrative district scale, Shanghai said in its latest Covid-19 regulations released yesterday. Exceptions will be made if the source and chain of contacts are unclear, and if the number of cases is unknown in the event of a lengthy transmission period. Regular PCR testing and community screening will continue.

The State Council, China’s cabinet, issued a document on Nov. 11 that relaxed the country’s epidemic prevention and control measures. In regions without Covid-19 cases, only high-risk people and key personnel should have PCR tests. No district-based mass PCR testing will be carried out in general circumstances.

The southeast coastal city of Fuzhou announced on Nov. 12 that it will no longer conduct mass tests, except for Cangshan district, where some Covid-19 cases are yet to be identified.

Yanji in China’s northeastern Jilin province will suspend mass testing from today. Previously, the city had planned to carry out comprehensive PCR testing from Nov. 8 to Nov. 14.

On Nov. 11, China’s southernmost tourist city of Sanya, Hainan province, also canceled region-wide mass testing and adjusted regulations to allow residents and tourists to test in their own time.

Editor: Martin Kadiev