A medic takes a nucleic acid test sample at a hospital in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang province recently announced that it will expand its ability to perform nucleic acid testing.

According to a guideline unveiled by the local government on May 22, the city will build more service sites to achieve this goal.

Presently, residents in Taizhou have to show negative results of nucleic acid tests that are valid for 48 hours before entering public venues, taking public transportation vehicles or participating in gatherings, according to local prevention and control regulations.

Public venues refer to transport hubs, scenic spots, cinemas and internet cafes, while the gatherings include exhibitions, conferences, performances, sports events, weddings and funerals.

The local government aims to make testing sites accessible within a 15-minute drive in central urban areas and 30 minutes in counties or county-level cities.

Nucleic acid testing sites will be located in medical institutions, drugstores as well as populated areas such as railway stations, supermarkets, industrial parks and logistics distribution centers.

A head official at the Taizhou municipal epidemic prevention office pointed out that regular nucleic acid testing is an effective way to contain the spread of the Omicron sub-variants which are more transmissible and have shorter incubation periods.

As of February, Taizhou had a total of 183 testing sites with a combined daily nucleic acid testing capability of 170,000 samples. Among them, 34 offer round-the-clock testing services to the public.