A Russian cargo ship loaded with Chinese machinery and vehicles leaves for the Blagoveshchensk port in Russia from Heihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Monday. As the weather turns cold, the Heilong River bordering China and Russia is about to enter the winter closure period, as the lowest temperature in the area has fallen below 0 C, and goods have to leave soon. Photo: VCG

Another major port city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Heihe, bordering Russia in the north, was urgently put under a citywide lockdown on Thursday after one confirmed COVID-19 case was found. It is the third city that has imposed such rules in the latest rebound of the epidemic in China, following China-Mongolia border city Ejin Banner and Northwest China's transport hub Lanzhou. 

Starting from Thursday, strict management measures will be imposed in all communities in Heihe, said a notice released on Thursday from the municipal government website. 

It specified that all operating units in the city will suspend operation and production except for departments essential to residents' daily needs, and supermarkets and pharmacies can only operate within limited time and limited customer flow. 

Residential communities and rural villages in Heihe will close off, leaving only one entry-exit that allows one person per household to pass once every two days, given that the neighborhoods have not reported confirmed COVID-19 cases. Gathering activities are also canceled and banned across the city. 

Traffic control will be in place, suspending all bus and taxi services, the notice said, adding that vehicles and personnel are not allowed to leave the city. 

The lockdown comes after the city reported one confirmed COVID-19 case and three asymptomatic cases on Wednesday, which are the firsts to be found in Heilongjiang Province in the new round of COVID-19 resurgence nationwide, not long after the province experienced a viral spike in late September. 

The China-Mongolia border city of Ejin Banner in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, one of the hard-hit regions that came under the spotlight for being the suspected source of the transmission chain in the latest COVID-19 flare-ups, tightened lockdown management for stranded tourists and local residents on Wednesday. This comes after the city sacked the Party chief for dereliction of duty.

Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu Province, which is considered as a transportation hub in Northwest China, closed off residential areas citywide on Tuesday to prevent further spread of the recent COVID-19 outbreaks.

Global Times