Heihe, a Chinese city on the Russian border, is offering 100,000 yuan (13,500 euros) as a reward for information on the origin of a local coronavirus outbreak. While China has succeeded in controlling the contagion of the virus with the help of radical measures (systematic screening, closing borders, vaccination), the country is currently facing sporadic epidemic upsurges, especially since the end of October in its northern part.
The authorities are reacting firmly, wishing to stop the contamination in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics next February. In this context, the city of Heihe, separated from Russia by the Amur River, has declared a “people’s war” against the virus, after having detected dozens of cases of contamination in recent days.
“Waging a People’s War of Control”
Local authorities are particularly concerned about a risk of transmission of the virus from Russia by cross-border smugglers, poachers or fishermen. Such activities must be immediately denounced, hammered Monday in an opinion the municipality of 1.5 million inhabitants. “In order to discover as quickly as possible the source of the contamination and the chain of transmission, it is necessary to wage a popular war of epidemic control and prevention”, explained the municipality.
The number of cases detected daily in China is however out of proportion with the reports announced in many countries. Beijing on Tuesday reported 43 cases in the past 24 hours nationwide. But the latest epidemic upsurge has led to the quarantine of millions of inhabitants. In Beijing, residents are invited not to leave the capital unless absolutely necessary.
