A medical worker performs a nucleic acid test on a resident in Rugao, Nantong on Aug 8. [Photo/CFP]

The Nantong Center for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging the city's residents to spend their Spring Festival holiday in Nantong and avoid traveling to medium- and high-risk areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

People from outside Jiangsu (excluding areas with COVID-19 cases) who need to visit Nantong are required to have a green QR code and test negative for the virus within 48 hours before departure from their respective cities. These individuals must also undergo a nucleic acid test after arriving in Nantong.

People from cities with medium- and high-risk areas will be placed under closed-loop management and quarantine or isolated for medical observation after arriving in Nantong.

People from areas with COVID-19 cases are advised to delay their visits to Nantong until the risk level of their point of origin is reduced to low.

The center encourages Nantong residents to send their Lunar New Year's greetings via phone or online instead of visiting friends and family.

Public places, including railway stations, coach stations, hotels, cinemas, and shopping malls, are required to be disinfected regularly. Nantong residents are also required to have their temperature taken and wear masks before entering these places.

They are advised to monitor their own health. Should symptoms such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat, hyposmia, hypogeusia, and diarrhea occur, people should visit the nearest fever clinic as soon as possible and declare their travel history to the doctor.