A resident receives a nucleic acid test at a testing point in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 22, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

The fresh COVID-19 outbreak in Harbin, capital city of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is caused by the Delta variant, local health authorities said on Friday after the city reported nearly 30 cases in three days. 

The gene sequencing studies of the current cases confirmed that the virus was the Delta variant. Other related epidemiological investigations are still underway, the Harbin government said. 

Yilan county in Harbin on late Thursday announced traffic control measures starting from Friday, banning all vehicles leaving and entering the downtown area.

Harbin reported 15 new cases on Friday which were discovered during quarantine and mass nucleic acid testing. The related residential communities where the new cases were found have been subjected to closed management. 

The city is scheduled to complete citywide nucleic acid testing by Friday, covering 10 million residents. So far the testing results have found 29 positive cases, the city government said. 

The city has reported 26 confirmed cases since the first case was reported on Tuesday, and eight regions have been classified as medium-risk zones.  

The city first reported three positive COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, two of whom were returnees from the Philippines. 

Other cities in the province like Qiqihar have issued fresh notices suspending shuttle bus service to and from Harbin airport. 

Regions across the nation such as Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, North China's Shanxi Province and East China's Shandong Province have activated anti-epidemic mechanisms to seek out people who have a history of travel to Harbin. Those identified will undergo nucleic acid tests. 

Apart from Harbin, Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province was also combating a domestic outbreak. Xiamen has finished two rounds of citywide nucleic acid testing, and Tongan district in Xiamen issued a notice to encourage all residents to shoulder the epidemic prevention duty and have the test. 

The notice also encouraged residents to report others who never had the test, and once verified, they could get 1,000 yuan ($155）cash reward for their reports. 

Global Times