CHENGDU — Southwest China's Chengdu launched a nucleic acid testing drive on Dec 11, offering free tests to all residents in the city's Pidu district, where several new COVID-19 cases have emerged since earlier this week.

The district's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters said the drive started at 6 pm, with testing expenses covered by the district government.

Meanwhile, a residential compound in Pidu district was classified as a medium-risk area for COVID-19 starting from 9 pm on Dec 11.

By 6 pm on Dec 11, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, had reported 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases and two asymptomatic cases in the recent emergence of the epidemic, said Xie Qiang, director of the municipal health commission.