A tea garden in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province has recently entered the spring tea harvest season, which is expected to reach its busiest period on March 23, according to local media reports.

The tea plantation in Huzhou spans roughly 423,700 mu (28,246.6 hectares) this year, and nearly 430,000 tea pickers are expected to be involved in the harvest.

Among them, more than 370,000 will be hired from places including Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong.

The local government has rolled out a string of measures to prevent the possible resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic caused by the local tea harvest.

Tea pickers from outside the city are required to test negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours before they are transported to Huzhou on chartered buses. 

Upon arrival, they have to undergo an additional nucleic acid test.

An enclosed-loop management system will be imposed on tea farms. Tea pickers are required to work in staggered periods and maintain social distancing of at least one meter from other people.

Routine health checks including body temperature monitoring will also be put in place.

Liu Liping, an official at the Huzhou Municipal Agricultural Science and Technology Development Center, said that over 1,000 tea pickers from outside Huzhou have arrived in the city and completed nucleic acid tests.                                           

A farmer harvests tea in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

A close look at the harvested tea in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]