The Chinese city of Qingdao is testing its entire population of nine million people for Covid-19 over a period of five days amid apprehensions of a second wave after the coastal city reported 12 COVID-19 cases. The mass testing came after a dozen cases emerged in a hospital treating coronavirus patients arriving from abroad.

In a statement posted to Chinese social media site Weibo, Qingdao’s Municipal Health Commission informed that six new cases and six asymptomatic cases had been discovered. Therefore the Chinese authorities started the strategy of mass testing even though the cluster appeared to be relatively minor.

The Qingdao health authority has said that a citywide testing program has been launched on Monday. The whole city will be tested within five days, covering roughly nine million people, state-run Global Times reported. China had earlier conducted mass testing on 11 million (1.1 crore) people in 10 days in Wuhan.