On Wednesday, China's National Health Commission announced the discovery of three new local COVID-19 cases in Harbin, the administrative center of Heilongjiang province in northeastern China. To prevent the spread of the infection, local authorities closed kindergartens, high schools, cinemas, and sports halls for one week and initiated a mass testing campaign for the population. Residents were advised to avoid public transportation whenever possible and to stay home, with several areas in Harbin designated as "medium-risk" zones for infection.
Before the announcement of internal COVID-19 infections in Harbin, the outbreak was concentrated in Fujian province in the southeastern part of the country, where 418 cases have been reported since September 10, unrelated to any imported infections. It is noted that Heilongjiang province borders Russia and has close ties with the bordering areas of the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has recorded 95,851 COVID-19 cases, with 4,636 deaths due to complications from the infection.
