The Ruili Dong highway tollbooth Photo: VCG

 The city of Ruili in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar, reported six new COVID-19 cases and 23 silent carriers on Wednesday. The domestic resurgence is thought to have been the result of illegal border crossing, prompting the local government to impose strict controls in the border area. 

Yunnan has reported 15 confirmed cases and 45 silent carriers in Ruili in the latest flare-up. The patients have been isolated for treatment and medical observation in designated medical institutions. 

According to an announcement issued by Ruili's anti-epidemic guiding group on Wednesday, all residents in the city are required to quarantine at home for a week and will not be allowed to go out unless there is a special reason.

During the one-week quarantine period, all business premises except supermarkets, pharmacies and farmers' markets will be closed.

Right after the announcement, Ruili carried out a citywide COVID-19 testing. As of Thursday, the city has completed the citywide collection of 309,448 nucleic acid samples.

A total of 52 schools in Ruili have suspended classes as of press time.

"I did the nucleic acid test on Tuesday. Now, I'm staying at home with enough daily necessities and food that I bought before the quarantine, so I feel that life is quite under control right now," a local resident surnamed Yang who operates a hotel near Jiegao port told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Because of the quarantine, my hotel has to close for a few days, and I don't know when it will be allowed to reopen," Yang said.

A Ruili government official told the Global Times on Wednesday on condition of anonymity that the border areas are mostly fields and forests, with no natural barriers. Due to the recent political unrest and epidemic surge in Myanmar, illegal crossings cannot be ruled out as the reason for the latest surge in Ruili, he said.

Based on previous experience, outbreaks in border regions, especially when epidemic situation in their neighboring countries are severe, are mainly caused by imported viruses. Such a theory could explain Ruili's latest flare-up, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Thursday.

Chinese Embassy in Myanmar has conducted exchanges with Myanmar on Wednesday and Thursday, in efforts to coordinate with the latter to strengthen COVID-19 prevention and control at the border.
 
 Both sides expressed willingness to join forces to reduce the risks of the epidemic, following the latest flare-up at the border in the Chinese city of Ruili, where several Myanmar national infectees were involved.

The Ruili government said on Wednesday that it would severely crack down on illegal border crossing activities, as well as those who organize them and those who shelter illegal immigrants, and will comprehensively strengthen its border control. Currently, 506 lockdown points have been set up on the front line of the city's borders, which are staffed by 3,902 people.

Ruan Chengfa, the Provincial Party Secretary of Yunnan, said on Wednesday that the Ruili government has to deeply reflect on and shoulder the responsibility of epidemic control, as this is the second outbreak occurred in Ruili.

In September last year, Ruili conducted citywide nucleic acid testing when asymptomatic stowaways from Myanmar triggered an outbreak.

Starting from Thursday, four border counties and cities, including Ruili, will launch mass vaccinations, said the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Yunnan's Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, which governs Ruili. At present, 65 vaccination points have been set up, and vaccine stocks are sufficient, it said.

According to a notice issued by Ruili’s epidemic control and prevention leading group, 5 areas in Ruili, including Jiegao port community, have been announced to be middle-risk areas since Thursday 7 pm.