The Chinese authorities’ decision to impose a lockdown in Manzhouli, a city in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, northeast China, has not affected the work of the Russian-Chinese border crossing Zabaykalsk-Manchuria, Russia’s Consul-General in Harbin Vladimir Oschepkov told TASS on Sunday.
“We are carefully watching the developing epidemiological situation in the near-border Chinese city of Manzhouli,” Oschepkov said. “According to our data, the railway and automobile checkpoints on the border with Russia are working with some restrictions as previously,” the diplomat stressed.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, since April 9 China’s authorities have suspended passenger service through the Zabaykalsk-Manchuria checkpoint. Freight traffic through it continues but is limited due to increased anti-epidemic measures.
Earlier China’s authorities imposed a lockdown in Manzhouli over two cases of pneumonia there caused by the coronavirus. Passenger and railway service with the city was temporarily suspended and a ban was imposed on meetings and mass events. Entertainment facilities, schools and kindergartens were closed. The authorities announced plans to carry out mass testing among all citizens. Manzhouli is home for nearly 172,000 people.
In the past day, China’s authorities recorded 17 new coronavirus cases: three of them were confirmed among Chinese citizens (two in Manzhouli and one in Shanghai) and 14 others were registered among passengers who had arrived from abroad.
