The were 1,325 cases of COVID-19 detected in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Saturday, including nine at the community level, a senior health official said on Sunday.

Zhang Yi, deputy director of the Guangzhou health commission, urged residents to actively cooperate with relevant departments and strictly abide by the city's epidemic prevention and control policies, while more concrete and effective measures are being introduced to help block the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The city is experiencing the most complex and severe COVID-19 prevention and control situation in three years, the official added.

The city, with a population of about 18 million, reported 746 infection cases on Friday, indicating hidden transmission chains still exist.

Zhang made her remarks at a news conference on Sunday, saying CCTV footage showed some residents in Haizhu district have violated the city's COVID-19 prevention and control policies and regulations.

The district, which has become the main battlefield in the fight against COVID-19 in Guangzhou, has been locked down to prevent and control the virus spread.

Except for those who have to go out to seek medical help or be tested for the virus, residents in Haizhu are required to stay at home for three days beginning Saturday. Only one person from each household is allowed to go out for shopping each day.

Of the city's new infections reported Saturday, 1,253 were detected in Haizhu.

Zhang Zhoubin, Party secretary of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the number of newly infected cases detected in the district daily has reached a new high in this round of the outbreak.

He urged residents to maintain risk awareness and avoid any risky behavior in order to contribute to the city's COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

According to Zhang Yi, more than 31,000 residents in Haizhu, where exhibition halls of the China Import and Export Fair are located, have been evacuated to other cities to help block the infection chain and lower the risk of spread in communities.

A makeshift hospital with 3,000 beds was put into operation on Saturday to help care for the growing number of infected residents.

In Beijing, the Chinese capital reported more COVID-19 infections at the community level, with the number of high- and medium-risk areas growing in the city this week.

According to data released on Sunday morning, Beijing recorded 43 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and six asymptomatic cases on Saturday, among whom five were detected at the community level.

Beijing has reported several infection clusters involving dozens of cases in colleges and families in recent days, according to the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

The center reminded the public that people who are self-quarantined at home should reduce contact with other household members in order to cut infection risks.