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‘It’s tough’: lockdown drags on for millions in Dandong, near North Korea
- Residents of border city have been confined to their homes for more than a month
- Officials say two outbreaks came from different sources, but have not given details
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Dandong – China’s biggest city bordering North Korea – has been locked down for more than a month due to successive waves of Covid-19, and for frustrated residents there is no end in sight.
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They have been confined to their homes since the end of April, yet case numbers are rising. So far, there have been 56 local cases but more than 850 asymptomatic infections, according to the latest figures from the provincial health commission. Five new locally acquired cases were reported on Tuesday.
The city – home to more than 2 million people – is located in the northeastern province of Liaoning. It neighbours North Korea, which is grappling with a Covid-19 outbreak that it claims is abating but the World Health Organization said was likely getting worse, not better.
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North Korea reported another 54,610 people with fever symptoms on Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
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North Korea’s Covid-19 problem: from zero to millions in a matter of weeks
North Korea’s Covid-19 problem: from zero to millions in a matter of weeks
Over the border, residents of Dandong have been locked down since three Covid-19 cases were found on April 24. Since then, they have had to take daily nucleic acid tests and stay home – with limited options to get basic supplies.
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