Hainan province reported 24 confirmed, locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, as well as three asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 37, and asymptomatic carriers to 4 from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Hainan Provincial Health Commission on Thursday.

From Monday to Wednesday, 33 of the new confirmed cases were reported in Sanya, a city at the southern tip of Hainan island and a popular tourist destination. Three cases were reported in Danzhou, on the western coast, and one in Lingshui on the eastern coast. Sanya reported two asymptomatic infections, Danzhou had one, and another was found in northwestern Lingao county, the local authoritie said.

To curb fresh COVID-19 clusters, Sanya has imposed restrictive measures starting from Thursday in most parts of the city. People are required to provide nucleic acid negative certificates obtained within 24 hours before entering or leaving their institution offices, public places and residential communities. Means of public transportation, including buses, trams, cruise ships and yachts have been suspended, the city government said on Thursday.

The officials said a number of major scenic spots in and around Sanya have issued notices to suspend business starting from Thursday, to ensure the safety of the general public and tourists.

Work on close contact tracing, isolation and medical treatment of the confirmed cases is going on in an orderly manner. Epidemic control measures have also been strengthened in other cities and counties across the island province, to curb the spread of the virus, said local officials.