On May 13, the northeast Chinese city of Jilin announced lockdown and travel restrictions in order to contain a new coronavirus outbreak, with six new cases reported on Tuesday.
Gai Dongping, the vice mayor of China’s Jilin city in the country’s northeast, warned on Wednesday that there is a huge risk the coronavirus could spread further after reporting six new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Jilin is the second largest city of Jilin province, which borders North Korea and Russia. It will now temporarily suspend departing or transiting train services for passengers.
“In order to cut off the spread of the epidemic, we have decided to implement control measures in the urban area of Jilin,” Gai told a press briefing on Wednesday.
The city announced that townships and communities are locked down. Residents who want to leave the city need to provide a negative report for a nucleic acid test done in the 48 hours before departure.
△ Related announcement
Social gatherings have also been banned. All cinemas, theatres, indoor gyms, internet cafes and other enclosed entertainment venues shut immediately, and pharmacies are required to suspend selling fever-reducing, antiviral and antibiotic medicines.
Moreover, Jilin train station announced temporary suspension of departures and ride-through services, starting 6:00 a.m. Wednesday until further notice. Passengers who have already purchased tickets will be refunded.
According to the Health Commission of Jilin City, there have been 21 new cases reported within a week in the city, all linked to a 45-year-old female laundry worker who works for the public security bureau in nearby Shulan, a small city in Jilin province.
The woman tested positive for COVID-19 on May 7, while how she contracted the disease is still a mystery. There had been no local cases reported for 73 days before she fell ill, and she had not traveled out of the province or been in contact with anyone returning from overseas.
In the wake of the infections, Shulan imposed lockdown in local communities and villages from Saturday. Exits and entrances are being guarded by designated people, leaving only one door for local residents to enter. Only one family member is allowed to purchase daily necessities each day.
Although the new cases in Jilin have triggered higher alert, most of the Chinese cities are now classified as a low-risk, including Wuhan. More and more people are now allowed to get back to work and study.
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SOURCE | 新闻联播 / SCMP / Reuters
