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China’s northeast border with Russia has become a front line in the fight against the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic, as new daily cases spiked in nearly six weeks, with more than 90% involving people from abroad.
Having largely eliminated domestic transmission of the disease, China has been slowly tapping the brakes on the move as it tries to get its economy back on track, but it is feared that an increase in imported cases could trigger a second wave of the virus.
A total of 108 new cases were reported yesterday in mainland China, up from 99 the previous day, representing the largest daily record since March 5.
Imported cases represented a record 98.
Half involved Chinese citizens returning from the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia, home to the city of Vladivostok, who re-entered China via border crossings in Heilongjiang province.
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The border is closed, except for Chinese citizens, and the overland route through the city had become one of the few options available to people trying to return home after Russia stopped flights to China, except for those who evacuated people.
The streets in the border city of Suifenhe were virtually empty last night due to movement restrictions and meetings announced last week, when authorities took preventive measures similar to those imposed in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the pandemic emerged in late from last year.
The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China is now 82,160 as of yesterday, and at the peak of the first wave of the epidemic on February 12 there were more than 15,000 new cases.
Although the number of daily infections in China has decreased dramatically since that peak, China has seen the number of daily victims increase due to the increase in imported cases.
Chinese cities near the Russian border are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantines in response.
Meanwhile, South Korea plans to send 600,000 test kits to the US. USA Tomorrow in the first such shipment following a request by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Trump made the request for test kits in a phone call on March 25 with President Moon Jae-in, as the United States was dealing with rapidly growing outbreaks in many states.
A cargo plane from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. USA What the equipment transports is scheduled to depart at 10:30 p.m.
The kits were made by two of the three companies that secured the preliminary arrival at the end of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last month, the official said, but declined to name them.
Shipments will be delivered and paid for by the US government. While the additional 150,000 kits will be exported in the near future to be sold through an unspecified local retailer, the official said.
South Korean companies have previously shipped test kits to US cities. Including Los Angeles, but this would mark the first wholesale order from the US federal government. USA
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