Yet another Chinese city has gone into lockdown as China continues to try to stave off a second wave of coronavirus infections.

The country’s new area of concern has become the city of Harbin where one woman has unknowingly caused the virus to spread to more than 70 people.

Another patient zero

The woman, a 22-year-old student surnamed Han, returned to China from New York last month. She went through 14 days of quarantine, tested negative for the Covid-19 virus, and showed no symptoms.

However, Harbin health authorities say she was a silent carrier of the virus who went on to infect her neighbors.

Those neighbors then hosted a gathering. One of the attendees later suffered a stroke, leading to infections breaking out at two local hospitals.

The infection chain has spread to more than 70 people including patients from Inner Mongolia and Liaoning province who were being treated at the hospitals.

On Monday, this all resulted in the number of domestic transmissions of the coronavirus surpassing imported ones for the first time in China since March 12.

Currently, Harbin is reporting 52 active confirmed cases and 23 asymptomatic infections.

Lockdown measures

To try to ensure that the outbreak does not continue to grow, Harbin has imposed a lockdown on all residential communities and villages.

The gates to all communities and villages will be guarded. Residents will have to show their health code, wear masks, and have their temperature checked to enter or leave. Non-residents will not be allowed in.

All weddings, funerals, and public events have been banned. No gatherings are allowed.

In addition, Harbin residents have also been encouraged to report anyone who is disobeying quarantine regulations after arriving back in China. If their intel is verified, they will receive a reward of 3,000 yuan ($423).