The areas under closed-off management in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province, can apply to lift restrictions beginning Saturday, local authorities said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"As for the five closed-off sub-districts in Dalian Jinpu New Area, they can make an application after "14+7" days of closed control with no new positive infections identified since Dec 25, 2020," said Tang Yi, head of the Dalian's Bureau of Civil Affairs.

They must meet the standards made by the city's epidemic prevention and control headquarters, Tang said.

The lifting of restrictions for those quarantined at home will come after "14+7" days of closed-door isolation and negative results of four nucleic acid tests, he said.

Tang said the communities' efforts to prevent the spread of the epidemic should be strengthened after lifting restrictions, including monitoring residents' health and requiring people entering and leaving the residential compounds to scan their health code, wear a facial mask and monitor their temperature.

In particular, they need to strengthen scanning people from key areas of epidemic concern. People coming to Dalian from abroad must complete "14+7+7" days of quarantine, while people from other domestic areas must take a nucleic acid test, which is given for free.