Photo: CFP

Harbin, the capital city of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is on high alert after three positive COVID-19 cases were reported on Tuesday, two of whom were returnees from the Philippines.

Local officials are urging residents to not leave the city, closing public venues, suspending large activities and rolling out nucleic acid tests. From Wednesday, all schools and kindergartens will have online classes.

The three patients were all reported in Harbin's Bayan county and live in the same community. 

The first patient was reported by the Second People's Hospital of Bayan County of Harbin. According to epidemiological studies, the patient had frequented several public venues before testing positive, including playing a role-playing murder mystery game for three days, dining at restaurants and visiting shopping malls.

The other two patients had returned from the Philippines on August 3. They underwent a 14-day quarantine in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, and another 14-day home quarantine in Bayan county, during which their tests were all negative. As close contacts of the first case, they were tested again and showed positive results. 

Minutes after the first positive case on Tuesday, the anti-epidemic group of Harbin announced measures to cut off virus spread. Residents should remain in the city, but if travel is necessary, a green health code should be presented. 

Public places including cinemas, massage parlors and gyms, private clinics and religious places should suspend their operations and activities starting Tuesday. Airports, train stations, restaurants and hospitals should strengthen their daily epidemic control measures. 

Places where the positive cases had visited will carry out nucleic acid tests. 

Global Times