Via Caixin Global: Remote Border Town Grapples With Covid-19 Cases Imported From Russia. Excerpt:
A remote Chinese town on the country’s northeast border with Russia became a new hotspot in the coronavirus pandemic as cases spiked among travelers crossing the border even as infections ebbed in the rest of China.
Suifenhe, in Heilongjiang province bordering the Russian city of Vladivostok, confirmed 151 Covid-19 cases among travelers from Russia as of April 9, in addition to 148 asymptomatic cases, according to the provincial government’s Friday briefing.
The Suifenhe border crossing is one of the few places where Chinese people living in Russia can come home after Russia shut down international flights earlier this month. The town has also become the main entry point for imported coronavirus cases in Heilongjiang. The province has recorded 155 imported cases and 152 asymptomatic cases.
Since March 11, 2,497 people entered China via the crossing in Suifenhe, official data showed. Many of the travelers came by plane from Moscow to Vladivostok and then crossed the border at Suifenhe.
Among travelers from Moscow to Suifenhe via Vladivostok, 151 infections have been confirmed, all in Chinese nationals who were living in Russia, official data showed.
Russia has reported more than 1,000 new infections every day over the past few days, most of them in Moscow. As of Thursday, Russia confirmed a total of 10,131 infections, more than 70% of them in Moscow and surrounding areas. Although the caseload in Russia is relatively low compared with other nations in Europe and the U.S., concerns have mounted over the recent daily spikes and potentially undetected cases due to the lack of testing outside the capital.
