City in NE China raises virus emergency level to high

The city of Shulan in Northeast China's Jilin province raised its emergency response level for COVID-19, from medium-level to high on Sunday, after 11 locally-transmitted cases were reported since Thursday.

The move quickly followed the city upgrading its emergency response to the virus from low-level risk to the medium-level risk after a local female was diagnosed with the virus on Thursday.

The 11 confirmed cases included her relatives and people who had close contact with them.

The woman was a laundry worker at the city's police station and 18 people who have been in close contact with her have been put under medical observation in a local designated location, according to an official provincial Sina Weibo account named Jilin fabu.

She had not been outside of the province and had no contact with people from other provinces or overseas, so the city is beefing up its efforts in epidemic research for the source of her infection.

The city said efforts are underway to contain the spread of the virus by enhancing nucleic acid testing and quarantine measures.
Jilin had reported no new COVID-19 cases for 73 days before Thursday.