As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage overseas, and many domestic regions have reported confirmed cases, the government of Liangjiang New Area in Southwest China's Chongqing sent a letter to residents on Aug 2, calling for coordinated efforts to combat the virus.

The government urged the public to pay close attention to places that local confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers have been to, and areas with medium or high risks of infection in Chongqing, and report the situation to relevant units and communities if they have yellow or red health codes, or have been to places with medium or high risks of infection within the past 28 days (abroad) or 14 days (domestically).

Residents are required to minimize unnecessary trips to regions with higher infection rates. Those who do need to travel to these regions must have a nucleic acid test taken within 48 hours before boarding a train.

The letter asked residents to observe basic codes of conduct and social protocols during the epidemic period, and maintain good sanitary habits. People must wear masks before visiting public or highly populated areas, maintain one meter of social distancing, and cooperate with officials in the city to have their temperatures and health codes checked.

Anybody with a fever, cough, or sore-throat should visit a designated fever clinic as soon as possible, wear a mask, and avoid taking public transportation to the clinic.

The letter also encourages people to be inoculated as soon as possible, as vaccines can build up personal immune systems, reduce the infection rate, and minimize the number of severe cases and the death toll. Two-dose and three-dose vaccines are currently available in Chongqing.

The letter also stressed the importance of being a legally responsible individual, and urged everyone in the new area not to believe or spread information unconfirmed by official departments.