The city of Harbin in China's Heilongjiang province on the border with Russia has toughened quarantine and self-isolation measures over the spread of the coronavirus, but the city is not closed for entry, Russian Consul General in Harbin Vladimir Oschepkov told Sputnik on Wednesday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2020) The city of Harbin in China's Heilongjiang province on the border with Russia has toughened quarantine and self-isolation measures over the spread of the coronavirus, but the city is not closed for entry, Russian Consul General in Harbin Vladimir Oschepkov told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Earlier in April, media reported that the city banned entry to non-residents and vehicles registered elsewhere due to a surge in imported cases of the coronavirus.
"The city is not closed, contrary to what many foreign media report. Only people living in the houses where COVID-19 patients were registered or those who had come into contact with them have been subjected to restrictions on leaving the city," Oschepkov said.
According to the diplomat, the number of infections began to rise after one elderly patient, who was infected by a Chinese citizen coming from abroad but not tested in a timely manner, was admitted to a hospital with a stroke and then sent to another facility, thus transmitting the virus to several dozen people.
The local authorities have taken control of the epidemiological situation in Harbin and tightened self-isolation measures. Electronic control systems are being used to trace those violating the quarantine, the diplomat stated.
In addition, Oschepkov said that China did not agree yet to create temporary corridors on the border to return Russian citizens to their homeland because of concerns related to the recent increase of cases in areas bordering Russia.
The Heilongjiang province has been recently seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, as Chinese citizens started to return to their homeland via a border checkpoint. Starting from April 12, Harbin authorities have strengthened preventive measures, including restrictions on movement, as well as a 28-day quarantine for all arrivals.
As of Wednesday, the province has registered 553 local cases of the disease, of which 69 are active. In addition, there are 386 imported cases of the coronavirus, including 270 active cases.
