Locals Skeptical as Chinese Authorities Claim No New Virus Cases, Issue Strict Containment Measures

A health worker takes a swab from a resident for COVID-19 nucleic acid test following a new outbreak of the coronavirus in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province on Oct. 13, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Authorities at the epicenter of China’s latest COVID-19 outbreak claimed on Oct. 15 that they have found no new infections after testing 8.8 million residents.

But local residents expressed skepticism, as Beijing dispatched medical experts to the coastal city of Qingdao on Oct. 14 and two officials were dismissed for mishandling the outbreak.