China State Council takes regional approach to venue control as part of Covid-19 response

The Chinese authorities issued a circular on 8 April, adopting prevention and control measures for ‘key venues, units and groups’, designed to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak. The circular, issued by China’s State Council’s joint prevention and control mechanism, called for ‘differentiated measures in the workplace and public places, based on each region’s epidemic situation’. According to the circular, for regions at low-level risk, activities involving gathering people together should be held ‘prudently’ to reduce risks of virus transmission. The authorities added that places essential for work and life, as well as open-air sites, should be reopened gradually and in an orderly way; while the reopening of places for entertainment and leisure activities should be carefully considered. In designated ‘medium’ and ‘high-risk’ areas, the authorities recommended that activities involving gatherings of people should not be organised in principle. The government circular also said that all sections of air transportation and port quarantine should stay alert in the current situation.