Covid-19: China locks down city on Myanmar border over coronavirus fears

Beijing - Ruili is a major crossing point from Muse in neighbouring Myanmar.

A Chinese city near the border with Myanmar has imposed a lockdown after six coronavirus cases were reported Wednesday — the first significant cluster of Covid-19 disclosed in almost two months.

Three asymptomatic cases in Ruili, a city of over 210,000 people, were also recorded as Myanmar nationals, aged between 24 and 28, according to health authorities in Yunnan province.

Ruili is a major crossing point from Muse in neighbouring Myanmar, which has seen escalating unrest since a February 1 military coup, raising fears that people may flood across the border if the violence intensifies.

On Wednesday, Yunnan health authorities in China warned they would “severely crack down on illegal border crossings and organisers or harbourers”, although they did not directly link the outbreak to irregular movement from Myanmar.