中缅边境德宏抗疫（中缅边境瑞丽战疫）

中缅边境德宏抗疫（中缅边境瑞丽战疫）A notice board tells residents how to get vaccinated for COVID-19 is seen outside a hospital in Kunming capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province March 31 2021. /CFPAs of 8 a.m. on Wednesday the city had traced 317 close contacts and put them in quarantine for medical observation. As of 8 p.m. the city has tested 207 136 nucleic acid samples.Ruili a Chinese city near the border w

A man receives a nucleic acid test in a community in Ruili City southwest China's Yunnan Province March 31 2021. /CFP

3月30日，云南瑞丽新增本土确诊病例6例、无症状感染者3例，打破了内地省份持续多日的“本土零新增”状态。

发现新增确诊病例后，云南瑞丽市新冠肺炎疫情防控工作指挥部立即发布了关于开展瑞丽市市区全员核酸检测的通告：瑞丽市区3月31日8时起开始全员核酸检测，所有居民居家隔离一周，将严厉打击非法偷越国（边）境及组织者、容留者。

截至31日8时，初步排查密接及次密接人员317人，均已进行集中隔离医学观察。截至31日20时，累计采集核酸样本207136份。

Ruili a Chinese city near the border with Myanmar has tested over 200 000 people as of 8 p.m. on Wednesday one day after the city reported six confirmed coronavirus cases and three asymptomatic cases.

This is the first significant COVID-19 cluster reported in China in recent months.

Local authorities immediately informed 210 000 residents to stay at home and avoid going out for a week informing them that the city planned to test all of its residents the following day.

As of 8 a.m. on Wednesday the city had traced 317 close contacts and put them in quarantine for medical observation. As of 8 p.m. the city has tested 207 136 nucleic acid samples.

A notice board tells residents how to get vaccinated for COVID-19 is seen outside a hospital in Kunming capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province March 31 2021. /CFP

3月28日，瑞丽市对姐告玉城重点人群开展例行核酸检测采样，发现1例缅籍人员核酸检测呈阳性，遂在29日对姐告玉城所在地国门社区进行全员核酸检测采样。

据了解，自29日瑞丽市国门社区启动核酸检测开始，瑞丽市组织12家医院和1家第三方检测机构，提前采购储备采样管25万支、咽拭子25万支，并从周边县市调集医护人员和本市医护人员组成16支1877人的采样队伍，在该市设置419个固定采样点和6个流调采样点。

除了从四面八方赶来支援的医疗队外，一群被称为“网格员”的防疫队伍也起到关键作用，他们连夜通知瑞丽市居民做好信息登记等核酸检测准备。

网格员是当地的“热心市民”，他们平时负责协助政府联系民众。一名网格员负责联系约10户人家，在瑞丽市有超过3700名网格员，实现了网格化管理。

仅用了12个小时，瑞丽市就已接近完成全员检测。

Two days before the first COVID-19 cluster cases were reported local medics in a regular test for key groups found a positive case on Sunday in Jiegao Jade Town a busy border trade zone.

Soon after the first positive case was found local authorities began to test everyone in the community. As more coronavirus cases were found the city informed 12 hospitals and one third-party testing institute to prepare for mass testing. Meanwhile the city government instructed the relevant departments to buy 250 000 test tubes and 250 000 throat swabs.

As mass testing requires lots of medical personnel the provincial government also mobilized 16 medical teams of 1 877 people from other neighboring cities and set up 419 fixed testing sites and six mobile testing sites in the city.

"Soon after we received the notice on Tuesday night we departed for Ruili " a medical worker from Dali city said adding that they began working immediately after they arrived in Ruili early Wednesday morning.

Aside from medics from other cities over 3 700 volunteers also went to provide help. Each volunteer took charge of 10 families informing residents to register in advance for the upcoming testing.

With all the preparation done in advance the city tested almost its entire population in 12 hours.

Citizens receive COVID-19 vaccines at a hospital in Kunming capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province March 31 2021. /CFP

瑞丽出现疫情与特殊的地理位置有一定关系。瑞丽边境线长，且大部分地段没有高山大河等天然屏障，沿边境线一带中缅民众交流频繁，“一寨两国”“一街两国”的情况并不少见。

4月1日，瑞丽市召开新闻发布会，会上通报，在开展好城区核酸检测工作的同时，瑞丽市不断强化边境管控。此外，瑞丽市将加强宣传动员，合理安排接种点，配足配齐人员设备，确保疫苗接种按时间要求完成。

One Myanmar national is among the first six confirmed cases reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile all three asymptomatic cases come from Myanmar. The Yunnan health authorities Wednesday warned that they would "severely crack down on illegal border crossings and organizers or harbourers."

Ruili borders Myanmar on three sides with a border of 169.8 kilometers. Many villages in the city are half in China and half in Myanmar which makes preventing imported cases a major challenge.

"Ruili enjoys a long border with Myanmar where the epidemic is still severe. It's a very difficult task to guard against the imported coronavirus cases over a long and complex border so the sporadic occurrence of imported cases in the city is understandable " said Zeng Guang former chief scientist of epidemiology at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yunnan Province is often called the "spring city of China." With Qingming Festival coming many people plan to travel to the province. However with the occurrence of the coronavirus clusters many might reconsider.

Zeng said the current COVID-19 cluster only occurred in the border city and other cities in Yunnan are safe. The public does not need to be panic and give up their travel to Yunnan he said.

Ruili authorities on Thursday said the city will speed up its vaccination campaign in the coming days. As of Wednesday over 114 million Chinese have been vaccinated according to the NHC.