As of 7:00 p.m. local time Tuesday, 104 close contacts of Sichuan's newly imported COVID-19 case have been traced, said the provincial Health Commission on Tuesday evening, noting that all results of nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 acquired so far appeared negative.

The samples were collected from three cities – Chengdu, Mianyang, and Meishan – in southwest China's Sichuan Province after a Sichuan Airlines pilot had tested positive for coronavirus and been diagnosed as a confirmed, imported COVID-19 case.

The 26-year-old pilot landed in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, on an international cargo flight from Los Angeles on November 29. He was then placed under quarantine in a designated location where he tested negative for coronavirus.

He captained a domestic flight on December 9 and continued his quarantine until December 12. After the quarantine, he drove to a wedding banquet attended by 300 people in Mianyang City.