Twenty-six people and four grassroots Party organizations and units have been punished so far in connection with the current outbreak of COVID-19 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, a statement released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Friday.

Xi'an's disciplinary authorities and supervision bureau have undertaken 15 tours to examine 1,348 grassroots units and COVID-19 prevention and control venues since the outbreak came to light on Dec 4, the statement said.

The outbreak began with imported cases from an international flight from Pakistan, it said.

Relevant units and pandemic prevention and control venues have been ordered to rectify procedures after 203 problems were found in their anti-pandemic work, it said.

"Some units and venues were found to have lax organization in nucleic acid testing, untimely sample submission and inaccurate scheduling of test samples," the statement said, noting that both open and secret inspections were made in recent weeks, including on-the-spot inspections, conversations, interviews and verifications.

The inspection tours, it said, have focused on the implementation of prevention and control measures in medium- and-high-risk areas, including quarantine hotels, schools, supermarkets, traffic inspection points, pharmacies, hospitals and nucleic acid checkpoints.

Most of the city's more than 2,400 discipline inspection and supervision officials are now working on the front line to help fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.