Chinese city on Myanmar border orders home quarantine over new COVID cases (updated)

Emperor Culture

31/03/2021 03:53

(Changes media slug, adds details about new cases in Ruili,
background)
    BEIJING, March 31 (Reuters) - The southwestern Chinese city
of Ruili that borders Myanmar ordered on Wednesday a one week
home quarantine for residents of the city's urban area, and mass
COVID testing, after reporting six new locally transmitted
coronavirus cases.
    Health authorities in Yunnan province, where Ruili is
located, said the six new cases were Chinese citizens, while
three asymptomatic patients, who are infected with the
coronavirus but show no symptoms, were Myanmar citizens.
    The new patients were discovered following a routine nucliec
acid test of the city's key population, the Yunnan health
commission said in a statement, but did not say how they were
infected.  
    Ruili on Wednesday will crack down on illegal border
crossings, according to a statement from the city government
published by the Communist Party authorities of Yunnan province.
    The city will only allow individuals with a negative nucleic
acid COVID-19 test within 72 hours to leave Ruili and will
advise all people and vehicles coming to the city to turn back. 
     
    The city is a key transit point for Yunnan province, which
has struggled to monitor its rugged 4,000 km (2,485-mile) border
with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for illegal immigration amid a
wave of unauthorised crossings last year by those seeking a
haven from the COVID-19 pandemic.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BR24Y   
    Ruili rolled out similar measures last year after imported
infections from Myanmar were detected in the city.
    
    

 (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Se Young Lee;
Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Michael Perry)
 ((vincentsy.lee@thomsonreuters.com; follow me on Twitter
@Rover829;))