Jilin province sends help to troubled cities

Jilin province's epidemic prevention and control office has dispatched teams of experts to Shulan, a county-level city under the administration of Jilin city, to support local effort, provincial health authorities announced during a video briefing on Monday.

The provincial health commission reported three new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing total infections to 15 since Friday. Thirteen were in Shulan and two were in Jilin.

Shulan has been classified as a high-risk region since Sunday — the only such area in China.

"Experts from the provincial health and public security departments will provide support and guidance to the epidemiological investigation, as well as concentrate on quarantines and medical treatment, in an effort to isolate the source of the infection and increase the recovery rate," said Fan Ming, an official of the Jilin Health Commission.

A 45-year-old woman in Shulan who was diagnosed on Thursday was tied to infections contracted by several of her family members and others with whom she had close contact, the commission said, adding that 276 related close contacts have been placed in quarantine.

"So far, the reserves and daily output of epidemic prevention materials by local enterprises can meet the needs of epidemic control and prevention in Jilin city and Shulan," said Gai Dongping, deputy mayor of Jilin, at the conference. "Further, the provincial government is providing great support and has sent medical supplies, including masks, protective suits and disinfectant to the two cities."

He said 300 pairs of protective glasses and 10,000 test kits were expected to arrive on Monday.

"The local government has taken strict pandemic control measures, including placing all high-risk people under quarantine and giving them coronavirus tests," said Jin Hua, mayor of Shulan. "All residential communities and villages have been locked down."