People take a walk at Xiangjiang park in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 7, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

Harbin, capital city of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, announced Thursday that students from non-graduating grades of primary and middle schools will have their winter vacations early, starting from January 1, 2021. 

Students in grade nine and senior middle schools will start their winter vacations from January 16, according to CCTV News.

On Saturday, Harbin issued a notice, saying a packaging of frozen seafood had tested positive for COVID-19.

Relevant departments have carried out terminal disinfection and sealing on the positive samples involved in the operation, processing, storage and the surrounding environment, as well as the living environment of close contacts, and sealed up all the raw materials and semi-finished products involved in the frozen processing. 

Moreover, the local government has put 43 close contacts under quarantine and 109 people under observation at home. Samples from the relevant people, food and environmental samples have been collected, 989 of which have come back negative. Tracing work is in underway.

Earlier on Thursday, Heilongjiang reported a new confirmed case of COVID-19 in Dongning. The patient is a 40-year-old company employee.

Other cities in Heilongjiang, including Mudanjiang and Dongning, immediately launched a level-III emergency response.