The city of Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province is battling an outbreak of the new coronavirus variant Omicron. 

As of the morning of January 30, Hangzhou had registered 59 confirmed Omicron cases, said Xia Shichang, deputy director of the Zhejiang Health Commission. All the patients are being treated in hospitals, while thousands of people who come into direct or indirect contact with them have been transferred to designated hotels for several rounds of nucleic acid tests to guarantee their health.

Fast and strong testing capabilities will play a key role in containing the outbreak. Many residents in the city's Binjiang District have already taken several rounds of COVID-19 tests to ensure their health.

Local firefighters have helped build several fast nucleic acid test centers, which are able to test millions of people a day. And thousands of doctors and nurses have been sent to communities to help speed up the testing process.

Finding infections in direct and indirect contacts as soon as possible is vital. Thousands of people who may have had contacts with confirmed patients have been transferred to designated hotels for quarantine. They are under health monitoring and they will be treated immediately if they test positive.

So far Hangzhou has confirmed one high-risk area and over 10 middle-risk areas. People in risk areas are encouraged to stay at home, with several rounds of COVID-19 tests scheduled in the next few days.

After preliminary investigation and analysis, Zhejiang health authorities have confirmed that the virus genome detected in Hangzhou is highly similar with a coronavirus sequence sampled abroad on December 11.

Xia said in a press conference that the first case, a person surnamed Gan, was first symptomatic on Monday and went to the hospital the next day. His initial screening was positive. Gan had participated in the annual conference of a company on January 19, and 57 of his colleagues left Hangzhou for Spring Festival Holiday, spreading the virus to another four provinces.

Many of the company employees and their close contacts have participated in wedding banquets and family gatherings, so many confirmed cases have been found in different communities in Hangzhou.

Xia said the transmission chain of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hangzhou is clearly related to the company. They have found four of the 11 samples collected from imported goods at the company tested positive for the Omicron variant, indicating there is a possibility the virus was transmitted via a contaminated object.

Recent low temperatures have made it easier for the virus to survive and be transmitted. People entering and exiting Hangzhou need a COVID-19 test within 48 hours.

Local authorities have taken measures to check products from overseas which have higher transmission risks. And residents are encouraged to avoid going to crowded places, wear masks and properly wash hands to enjoy a safe and happy Spring Festival holiday.