Longchuan enters lockdown after reporting 3 COVID-19 cases

A medical worker collects a swab sample for nucleic acid test in Ruili City of southwest China's Yunnan Province, July 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Longchuan County, bordering Myanmar in southwest China's Yunnan Province, has been put under lockdown as three locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday.

The three cases were identified through the county's regular nucleic acid testing work and have been transported to a designated hospital.

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, a total of 383 close and near-close contacts have been tracked and are all under quarantine.

The county has also launched its first mass nucleic acid testing campaign. By 10 a.m. Thursday, Longchuan had collected samples from 54,072 local residents, and all had tested negative.

By the end of Wednesday, there were 171 confirmed cases in hospitals in Yunnan, including 66 locally transmitted cases. There were also 21 asymptomatic cases, one of which was locally transmitted. ■