Chinese city threatens to prosecute people who break quarantine as coronavirus continues to spread
- Shulan in the northeast of the country is at the centre of a cluster of Covid-19 cases that have fuelled fears of a second wave of infections
- So far 45 new cases have been reported in Jilin province, all linked to one patient, but officials are still trying to discover the source
The authorities in a northeastern Chinese city hit by a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases have warned that people who violate quarantine rules will be prosecuted.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the police in Shulan, a city of 700,000 people in Jilin province, said those who failed to follow the stay-at-home orders or tried to hide respiratory illness-related symptoms would be subject to administrative or criminal sanctions.
Those who spread rumours or misinformation would be held responsible too, the statement said.
The warnings came as a cluster of cases, from an unknown source, continues to grow in the area, fuelling fears of a secondary outbreak in China where the pandemic has been largely contained.
So far, the cluster has resulted in 45 confirmed cases of infection, including 20 in Shulan and a further 19 in neighbouring Jilin city.