HOHHOT -- Ejine Banner, a county in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, began its fifth round of county-wide nucleic acid testing on Tuesday noon and reported 26 new local COVID-19 cases on the same day.

According to the banner's anti-epidemic headquarters, Ejine Banner has confirmed 84 COVID-19 cases in the latest wave of infections, all of whom have been sent to designated hospitals for treatment.

During the third round of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing of more than 41,000 people, 20 positive results were detected. By Tuesday noon, the fourth round of mass testing had found 21 positive results in approximately 40,000 samples while around 3,000 other samples are still being tested.

The Party chief of Ejine Banner, Chen Zhanyun, was removed from his post on Tuesday for his poor management of COVID-19 control measures.

The banner began implementing a home quarantine measure on Monday to contain COVID-19. All residents and tourists have been asked to stay at home or in hotels.