Residents of a border city in southwestern Yunnan province are under official orders to test for COVID-19 and stay at home for at least a week, following reports that four of its new cases are Myanmese.

Ruili, a Chinese city next to Myanmar, detected the coronavirus in nine people, comprising six women and three men aged between 22 and 42. Four of them, including all three asymptomatic cases, were Myanmese nationals, China Central Television reported on Tuesday.

The city appeared to have been locked down late on Tuesday, according to internet users who posted videos online from 11 p.m. one after another.

Local authorities confirmed the next morning that they had been implementing strict controls on inbound and outbound traffic since Tuesday night. People who were leaving the region must provide a nucleic acid test certificate conducted within 72 hours, officials said on the government’s Weibo page.

Citywide nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 would start at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the Weibo notice said. All residents were required to isolate themselves at home for one week, and were not allowed to leave for work or study without approval. Those who refused to carry out or interfered with testing would face legal responsibility.

The authorities also issued warnings to organizers and hosts of illegal immigrants, declaring that unlawful border crossings would be met with stiff action.

The nine new infections of COVID-19 emerged after Ruili initially found a positive case during regular testing of high-risk groups on March 29 and another eight subsequently, the provincial health committee said.

A person from Mangshi city in Yunnan told Apple Daily that the recent local outbreak originated from two Chinese smugglers who had returned from Myanmar.

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