Photo: yn.people.cn

Southwest China's Yunnan Province registered its first "zero day" in the latest COVID-19 resurgence, reporting no new infections or silent carriers on Friday, which gave epidemic and border control staffers a break in the hard battle against the imported virus, especially the Delta strain that has been ravaging the world. 

Friday is the first time the border province has reported no infections or silent carriers since the latest resurgence was detected on July 4. Fifteen imported cases were reported, who came to China via land ports between June 18 to July 14.

But the province, especially the border city of Ruili, continues to face great epidemic control pressure due to its borderlines with Myanmar. Half of the infected cases in the latest outbreak were Myanmar nationals, media reported. 

Virologists noted the "zero" situation could be broken tomorrow, but Ruili, with enhanced nucleic acid testing capacities and high vigilance around the clock, can handle the situation. 

Normalized random testing is necessary for a place like Ruili to screen out risks, experts said, citing the city's frequent contacts and lack of natural barriers with neighboring country Myanmar. 

The virus strain in the latest flare-up in Yunnan has been confirmed to be the Delta strain, which is gradually devouring the world. Malaysia is seeing record infections with more than 100,000 in three consecutive days and Australia just put 12 million people under stay-at-home orders to combat the contagious strain.