Chinese authorities placed the north-eastern city of Shulan under lockdown after a rash of locally transmitted coronavirus infections that raised the national daily case count to its highest level in 10 days.
Shulan, in Jilin province bordering North Korea, accounted for 11 of the 14 new cases reported by China on Sunday. The only other locally transmitted infection was in Hubei province, whose capital Wuhan was the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Authorities raised the threat level in Shulan county to high risk, just days after downgrading all regions in the country to low risk, and imposed lockdown in local communities and villages.
Train services in and out of the county have been suspended until the end of the month, bus services were halted and taxis barred from leaving the city, China's Global Times reported.
All but the most essential services were ordered to close, and one family member will be allowed to purchase necessities each day.
Authorities said the infections originated with a 45-year-old woman who had no recent travel or exposure history, but spread it to her husband, her three sisters and other family members.
The woman, whose infection was diagnosed on May 7, worked as a laundrywoman at a local public security bureau in Shulan, Global Times said.
The Shulan outbreak comes as China's major cities are gradually returning to normal after authorities imposed strict travel restrictions and closing huge swathes of the economy to control the spread of the virus. The number of new cases dwindled in recent months, with many of them being among citizens who had returned from abroad. There had been no new cases reported in Hubei province for over a month.
Mi Feng, a spokesman for National Health Commission, said the 12 locally transmitted cases reported on May 9 were the highest since March 11. The commission said the country should stay on high alert and avoid gatherings.
