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Near lockdown in Chinese city after 2 trigger dozens of chain infections
The surge in the city involved an imported case from the US who then triggered a big cluster of infections involving two hospitals.
Harbin, a city in China’s northeast known for the world’s largest annual ice festival, imposed a near lockdown on Wednesday, banning non-residents and their vehicles from entering residential compounds and tightening restrictions on inbound traffic following a surge in imported Covid-19 cases.
The surge in the city involved an imported case from the US who then triggered a big cluster of infections involving two hospitals.
According to state media and agency reports, one cluster in Harbin – related to the imported case from the US -- involves an 87-year-old man surnamed Chen who had stayed at two hospitals since April 2.
Chen is said to have then infected 78 people, with 55 confirmed, though 23 who tested positive have yet to show symptoms.
Harbin, the city of around 10 million is the capital of Heilongjiang province, which is close to the Russian border and has become the hardest coronavirus-hit region in China.
“The gates of all communities and villages (of Harbin) will be guarded, residents who enter and exit must hold a health code, wear masks and show normal body temperatures, while no other people and vehicles will be allowed to enter,” new measures adopted by the Harbin government on Wednesday said.
“Visits and gatherings between families and friends have also been prohibited.
Weddings and funerals are also banned under the new anti-epidemic policy, and all public events including performances, forums and exhibitions have been suspended,” a state media report said.
The city had reported 52 active confirmed cases and 23 asymptomatic infections as of Tuesday midnight.
According to the tabloid Global Times, the chain of infection started from a Chinese student surnamed Han who had returned from New York.
Han then passed the virus on to her neighbor, triggering a chain infections involving two hospitals after one among the infected – Chen, mentioned earlier -- was admitted to one hospital for a separate ailment.
The national health commission (NHC) said it received reports of 30 new Covid-19 cases on the mainland on Tuesday, 23 of which were imported.
The remaining seven were domestically transmitted, the NHC said, adding that all were reported in Heilongjiang.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 82,788 by Tuesday, including 1,005 patients who were still being treated and 77,151 people who had been discharged after recovery, the NHC said.
Altogether 4,632 people had died of the disease in China, it said.
Heilongjiang has been on the frontline of China’s latest efforts to identify infected citizens arriving from Russia, with which it shares a border, so as to halt the virus.
Earlier this month, Harbin authorities made 28 days of quarantine for all arrivals from abroad mandatory, with two nucleic acid tests and an antibody test for each.
