The study analyzes the spatial characteristics of the epidemic. It evaluates the effectiveness of its differentiated prevention and control policies implemented at different stages of the epidemic in the Yangtze River Delta.

The study divided the epidemic into 2 stages and analyzed the spatial evolution characteristics of the COVID-19 epidemic in the region by using Anselin Local Moran’s I and standard deviation ellipse.

In the first stage, the high value of confirmed cases was concentrated in the eastern and southern cities. The trajectory of the barycenter showed a V-shaped change characterized by a southward shift followed by a northward fluctuation. In contrast, the second stage was mainly concentrated in Jiangsu Province and Shanghai, and the Barycenter did not change over time. The diversified prevention and control measures enabled ‘zero new cases’ in the Yangtze River Delta within a month.

The prevention and control policy implemented in the Yangtze River Delta has worked well. With the global pandemic of COVID-19, it is recommended that other countries follow the example of the Yangtze River Delta, tighten prevention policies, and speed up vaccination to avoid a rebound of the epidemic.