Haizhu district, the epicenter of this round of COVID-19 outbreak in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has further strengthened its prevention and control measures starting Friday.

According to the new measures that will last until the end of Sunday, all the residents in the district are required to stay at home unless absolutely necessary to limit the flow of people.

Only one person from each household is allowed to go out for shopping each day, said a statement released by the district government on Friday.

All public transport services, including bus, metro, taxi and online car hailing, have been suspended while major highway entrances to Haizhu have also been temporarily closed, said the statement.

And closed-loop management has been introduced in all the colleges, and major companies and institutions, including elderly homes and confinement centers of parturients, it said, adding that all business premises, except hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and some supermarkets that ensure the supplies of people's livelihood, have been temporarily be closed.

Meanwhile a new round of nucleic acid testing campaign has been launched to help seek the possible infections and block the spread of the virus in local communities, said the statement.

Haizhu, where the exhibition halls of China Import and Export Fair are located, is a major international exhibition and convention center in the southern Chinese region and a densely populated area in Guangzhou, which has a population of more than 18 million.

In addition to Haizhu, the districts of Yuexiu, Liwan, Panyu and Baiyun have also further tightened their measures against COVID-19 beginning Friday.

And many universities and colleges in the city have introduced closed-loop management and launched online classes starting Friday.

The new measures were introduced when Guangzhou reported 225 local transmitted patients and 2,358 asymptomatic carriers on Thursday. And the whole Guangdong province reported a total of 289 confirmed patients, and 2,461 asymptomatic carriers, on Thursday, according to statistics released by the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission on Friday.