头条英文播报|Record high in imported cases sounding alarm

来源：中国日报

Record high in imported cases sounding alarm

Seven ambulances are parked in front of Suifenhe makeshift hospital in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, on April 13, 2020. [Photo by Li Guangqing/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Task of curbing rebound of locally transmitted infections also daunting

China reported a record high of 98 new imported novel coronavirus cases on Sunday and an uptick in locally transmitted cases. Health authorities also raced to send medical experts and supplies to badly affected cities near ports and land crossings, and border control officials stepped up checks on travelers.

The National Health Commission said on Monday that 108 new confirmed cases were added on Sunday, up from 99 the previous day. The accumulative number of imported cases grew by 98 on Sunday to 1,378, with no fatalities.

The 10 domestic cases detected on Sunday also marked the highest daily local infections since March 11, commission spokesman Mi Feng said at a news conference on Monday.

"The task of preventing imported infections while curbing a rebound at home is grim and allows no relaxation," he said.

National and regional authorities have rushed medical expert teams to border cities to beef up their epidemic-control capabilities and strengthen their testing and treatment, said Wang Bin, head of the commission's disease control bureau.

"Medical resources in most counties and cities close to land borders, such as Suifenhe in Heilongjiang province, are not sufficient to cope with an outbreak. So the chief concern is to rapidly build up the capacities of local medical institutions, constructing the first line of defense against the disease," Wang said at the news conference.

"We will also help coordinate supplies of medical equipment, testing kits, laboratory devices and protective suits in these regions, aimed at improving their virus control ability within a short span," she added.

As of Monday, at least 243 people with confirmed infections had entered from Russia via the highway port of entry at Suifenhe, and all of them are Chinese nationals. The port was closed on April 7 and the remote city of about 70,000 people was put under lockdown the next day.

Mi, the spokesman, said that the commission also sent two teams including medical experts and officials to the city. The experts included specialists in infectious disease control, respiratory diseases and public health. "More medical aid will be sent there depending on the developments of the local epidemic situation," he added.

With the virus continuing to spread rapidly in other countries, China is enforcing strict quarantine measures on all incoming passengers, with the majority being quarantined for 14 days.

Some who are deemed at lower risk of contracting the virus can opt for two nucleic acid tests and one antibody test at the third and fifth day of isolation. If all three tests come back negative, they are allowed to self isolate at home for the last seven days of the quarantine period, according to Wang.

"Preliminary analysis shows that 70 percent of imported cases were detected when the people in question were under quarantine. It shows that strict implementation of quarantine measures are necessary," Wang said.

As the contagion risk stemming from land crossings is rising, immigration officials are also stepping up control at borders, including nearby mountain roads and small pathways, said Liu Haitao, director of the National Immigration Administration's border inspection department.

"By suspending nonessential cross-border travel, the number of people exiting and entering through land borders nationwide has fallen by 90 percent," he said. "We have also added manpower at land crossing points and increased patrol frequencies to clamp down on illegal activities."

Immigration officials in Yunnan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have uncovered three cases involving transporting people across borders illegally and busted four criminal gangs, Liu said.

"Sneaking across national borders during the pandemic will add to the risk of importing the pathogen from overseas," he added.

To guard against the threat posed by asymptomatic individuals, Jin Hai, head of the General Administration of Customs' Department of General Operation, said customs officials have intensified epidemiological investigation to cover all incoming travelers who have travel histories in hard-hit regions and who show relevant symptoms.

Since April 1, customs and local governments have joined efforts to conduct nucleic acid tests on all travelers entering through air, waterways or land crossings.

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【背景阅读】

国务院联防联控机制：加强边境口岸地区防控能力建设

新华社北京4月13日电 国家卫生健康委员会疾控局监察专员王斌13日在国务院联防联控机制新闻发布会上表示，目前我国东北方向以绥芬河口岸为代表的陆路口岸境外疫情输入形势严峻。要加强边境口岸地区的市县级医疗卫生机构防控能力建设，切实发挥好第一道防线作用。

据了解，根据绥芬河口岸输入疫情防控需要，国家卫健委已组派工作组和专家组赶赴当地。派出人员包括管理和感染、重症、呼吸等医疗专家以及卫生应急、传染病控制、实验室检测等公共卫生专家。

王斌介绍，根据边境口岸城市疫情防控需要，国家也进一步协调医疗设备、检测试剂、相关实验室设备、防护物资等，帮助边境口岸城市提升防控能力。

国家移民管理局边防检查管理司司长刘海涛介绍，国家移民管理局不断强化工作部署，最大限度减少非必要的人员跨境流动。禁止第三国人员从边境口岸出入境，严格控制签发各类边境地区出入境证件，限制旅游、探亲、访友等非必要的出入境活动。从严管理出入境口岸和通道。同时，加强对边境地区群众的法律政策宣传教育，加强与毗邻国家移民管理部门的执法合作。（来源：新华社）