(Dan Tri) – China is said to have asked more than 5,000 people in a district bordering Myanmar to quickly evacuate in an effort to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.
Chinese medical staff take Covid-19 test samples for people (Illustration: Reuters).
SCMP quoted sources from the government and people saying that more than 5,000 people living in Jiegao district, Yunnan earlier this week received requests to pack their luggage and get on a bus to move to a collective quarantine area in
The government is said to want to create a temporary uninhabited `buffer zone` between the two countries to prevent the disease from spreading.
A source from the Yunnan government said that more than 5,000 people are expected to live in a quarantine area for 14 days and they will be thoroughly screened and tested.
Local authorities have also sent security and pandemic control teams to patrol the streets to ensure no one crosses the border illegally and protect people’s property.
Jiegao Bridge is the main route between China and Myanmar, and the area is a vibrant trading center with tin and jade merchants from both sides of the border.
`It was a very difficult decision. As of August 25, this district had been locked down for 150 days. But it was still listed by Yunnan provincial health authorities as the only high-risk area in the region.`
He said the Chinese side also seemed to deport foreigners without valid documents back to the country, mainly Myanmar and some Laotians.
An official in the Covid-19 prevention force in Thuy Le, Yunnan confirmed the evacuation of people with SCMP, but refused to provide further details.
A video recording the scene of people wearing full protective gear boarding a bus has spread on Chinese social networks.
Myanmar is recording a new outbreak due to the Delta mutation.
The outbreak in neighboring Myanmar has given Chinese officials a `headache` as Yunnan province has recorded a series of imported cases in recent times and some cases have caused spread in the community.
Nick John