City in Heilongjiang reports local COVID case

Dongning, a county-level city under Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, identified a new local confirmed case of COVID-19 on Thursday, the city's epidemic prevention and control headquarters announced.

Dongning is an important land port on the China-Russia border in Heilongjiang.

The patient, surnamed Kong, is a 40-year-old male employee at a local company. A coronavirus test conducted on Wednesday came back positive. A subsequent reexamination by the Mudanjiang disease control and prevention center was also positive.

Kong was confirmed with mild symptoms.

The city has launched a Level Ⅲ public health emergency response, the headquarters said, adding that a series of measures — including epidemiological investigations, nucleic acid testing and disinfecting procedures — are underway.

The headquarters said in a statement that the city will undertake a large-scale testing effort for all residents in the urban area and two villages including Sanchakou and Wudadui.

The city has also adopted strict measures, which include barring local residents from leaving the city. Those who must leave for special reasons must provide negative nucleic acid test results within 24 hours before their departure.

Bus services for passengers were suspended to keep people from gathering and spreading the coronavirus, but vehicles related to production and supporting people's daily lives are still unblocked and can travel across the city.

Schools and social educational institutions have been temporarily closed.

The city also suspended dine-in services at restaurants, but delivery services remain available for restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies.