As part of a citywide lockdown to curb a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School has been sealed off to visitors since Jan 6.

About 600 of its 2,000 students and staff members, including 477 boarding students, were stranded inside, school authorities said.

Those on campus have been tested twice for COVID-19 since it was sealed off as part of a citywide testing campaign to detect coronavirus carriers.

All results came back negative, the school said.

The citywide stay-at-home order, which has been extended three times over the past two weeks, has amplified the homesickness of students stranded on campus.

To ease students' anxieties, school administrators have temporarily increased the number of PE classes as part of a broader curriculum reform amid the lockdown.