China's Yunnan adds one COVID-19 medium-risk area

KUNMING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- One residential community in Ruili City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has been classified as a COVID-19 medium-risk area following the recent resurgence in infections, according to local authorities.

The community, with a population of around 12,000, is located on China's border with Myanmar and currently the only medium-risk area in Ruili and Yunnan. The classification took effect at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters said.

Yunnan reported three locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and two locally-transmitted asymptomatic infections on Monday, all found in Ruili among Myanmar nationals, the provincial health commission said Tuesday.

An epidemiological investigation is underway, and nucleic acid testing has been carried out in several key districts in Ruili since Monday morning.

By 8 a.m. on Tuesday, over 238,000 samples were collected and more than 760 close and secondary contacts of coronavirus carriers were put under medical observation, municipal authorities said.

The border city experienced a COVID-19 outbreak from late March to April.

By the end of Monday, there were 75 confirmed COVID-19 cases still hospitalized in Yunnan Province, including six locally-transmitted and 69 imported cases.