Party chief of Ruili removed from posts for dereliction in COVID-19 control

A medical worker attaches a bar code tag to a sample tube used in nucleic acid testing for COVID-19 at Munao community, Ruili City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 6, 2021.(Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

KUNMING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Gong Yunzun, Party chief of Ruili City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, was removed from his posts for serious dereliction of duty in COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control.

The provincial anti-graft body held Gong responsible for three occurrences of COVID-19 infections in the city within half a year, according to a punishment decision.

Gong should take the main leadership responsibility for the outbreaks, with the latest one that started on March 29 "seriously impacting the overall situation of the epidemic prevention and control in the whole country and the province."

As of Wednesday, 79 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 44 asymptomatic cases are receiving treatment or under medical observation in designated hospitals in the province that borders Myanmar.