(Reuters) – China reported its biggest daily jump in new cases of COVID-19 in more than two months, as a city on the border with Myanmar, in southwest Yunnan province, was responsible for all new local cases.
Ruili’s local government has placed residents in its urban area under home quarantine, launched a massive testing campaign and began restricting people from leaving and entering the city since last week, after reporting patients with COVID-19.
The city was responsible for all 15 new local cases notified on April 4. The total number of new COVID-19 infections, including imported infections originating from abroad, stood at 32, marking the highest total since January 31.
The genetic analysis of the cases discovered in Ruili suggests that the new local infections are derived from viruses imported from Myanmar, state media reported. Of the new patients reported in the city, 11 of them were identified as citizens of Myanmar.
Ruili is a major transit point for Yunnan province, which has struggled to monitor its rugged 4,000 km (2,500 mile) border with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for illegal immigration amid a wave of unauthorized crossings last year by people seeking refuge from the pandemic.
Local authorities have also started a vaccination campaign in Ruili in an attempt to contain COVID-19 and increase herd immunity in the city.
The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, was 18, equaling the total for the previous day.
The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in mainland China is now 90,305, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,636.
Reporting by Se Young Lee in Washington; Himani Sarkar and Michael Perry edition