Northeast Chinese city adopts tougher anti-epidemic measures

Authorities in the northeastern Chinese city of Jilin have adopted several extra stringent measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The measures include suspending all coach and tourist charter bus services and applying closed-off management to all the city's residential communities and villages.

People who wish to leave the city will need to register with a negative report of nucleic acid testing within 48 hours of travel and remain isolated after the test and before leaving the city.

At Jilin's railway station, all boarding services for departing and stopover trains have been suspended beginning 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Local authorities have also closed all tourist spots and entertainment venues such as cinemas and theaters in the city, and has banned all kinds of group dining.

The measures came after Shulan, a county-level city administered by the city of Jilin, recently reported multiple domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases.

Since May 7, Jilin has completed nucleic acid testing for 2,389 people and has tracked 367 close contacts of 21 confirmed cases. These contacts have all been put under medical observation.

On Wednesday, people who come from Shulan and enter Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, will be subject to a 28-day quarantine, according to the authorities in Harbin.