China tightens border with Russia after spike in Covid-19 cases

China’s northeast Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia, has become the new battleground in opposition to the coronavirus as government reported the highest number of new daily cases in nearly six weeks, driven with the aid of infected travellers from overseas.

China fears a upward thrust in imported cases may want to spark a second wave of Covid-19 and push the country again into a nation of near paralysis.

A overall of 108 new cases have been suggested in mainland China on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier.

The National Health Commission said 98 of the  new cases had been imported, a new record. A general of 49 Chinese nationals who entered Heilongjiang province from Russia tested positive.

On Monday, two people have been reported dead in Hubei, pushing the toll to 3,341 even as overall cases stood at 82,160. As of Sunday, the mainland had reported a complete of 1,378 imported cases.

Chinese cities which are  close to the border with Russia are tightening controls and enforcing quarantines in reaction to inflow of infected sufferers from the country.

China on Monday rejected reports that the earliest case of Covid-19 in its territory passed off last November and that it had concealed the real situation concerning the pandemic, describing them as a distortion of facts.

Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong stated in a statement: “Recently, Indian media ignored the records that China had officially released and persisted to blame China for concealing the real situation. These claims are fact-distorting and irresponsible.”