Party secretary of border city removed in wake of COVID-19 outbreak

The Party secretary of the city of Ruili, in Yunnan Province, which has seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, is under investigation for serious negligence, the local disciplinary watchdog said today.

Gong Yunzun was removed from his post and demoted as Ruili, which borders Myanmar, has had three outbreaks of COVID-19 in the past six months, the Yunnan Province Commission for Discipline Inspection said on its website.

The outbreaks have seriously undermined the country’s efforts to contain the virus and severely impacted the national economic recovery, bringing grave consequences, the announcement said.

Ruili has reported 79 confirmed and 25 symptomatic cases as of April 8 and is under lockdown.

The border dividing Ruili and Myanmar spans almost 170 kilometers, and many Chinese and Myanmar nationals travel between the two countries for business.

The city had earlier vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants.