The recent COVID-19 outbreak in Hainan has reached a turning point having a decline in infections for four consecutive days, said the local authorities.

The main chains of transmission have been basically blocked, and the epidemic situation in the island province is under control. The numbers of patients discharged from hospitals and people released from isolation locations have increased by a big margin, said officials at a news conference held in Haikou, the provincial capital, on Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, 886 patients were cured and discharged from hospitals in Hainan, increasing the total figure to 2,324. In addition, 25,850 people were released from isolation, according to the briefing.

Newly reported infections from communities under no closed-loop management have been declining significantly. Sanya, at the southern tip of the island and the epicenter of the latest outbreak which began on Aug 1, reported 472 infections on Sunday, a drop of 220 cases compared with the previous day, said local officials.

Meanwhile Lingshui and Lin'gao are among the places which have been affected by the epidemic, having now recorded zero COVID-19 transmission at community level, said the officials.