COVID-19 Reinfection Case Prompts Lockdown of Village in Shandong, China

COVID-19 Reinfection Case Prompts Lockdown of Village in Shandong, China
A group of laboratory technicians making their way during an epidemiological investigation in Linyi city, Shandong Province, China on Feb. 10, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images
Frank Yue
Updated:
Chinese authorities unexpectedly locked down a village in China’s eastern Shandong Province on Sept. 15, after a villager was found to have been reinfected with the CCP virus.

Jiji village, which is subject to the restrictions, is part of Wangji town in Cao county.

The patient, a 30-year-old male surnamed Ma, is a native of Cao, the county’s COVID-19 Command Center said in a statement. A day after arriving in the city of Guangzhou from Dubai on Aug. 15, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 but as an asymptomatic case.

He received medical care, and following his recovery, he was quarantined from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5.

At some point, Ma was transferred to a designated site for quarantine. He tested negative on Sept. 6 and 7 when he took a nucleic acid test (NAT) and an antibody test, respectively; a second NAT on Sept. 12 also came back negative.

However, on Sept. 14, additional NAT and antibody tests revealed a reinfection. All of his close contacts have since been placed under quarantine, authorities said.

The news spread on mainland China’s social media, including Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and Kuaishou.

The Cao county's notice about the recent reinfection COVID-19 case. (Provided to The Epoch Times)
The Cao county's notice about the recent reinfection COVID-19 case. Provided to The Epoch Times

A local villager confirmed the case of reinfection, in a phone interview with The Epoch Times. He disclosed that his whole village is still under lockdown, with residents barred from leaving the village and no visitors are allowed into the area. He said a local highway is off-limits and government staffers are guarding every access point to their village. All staffers entering or exiting the village are required to wear white protective suits and receive disinfection, and all villagers must take NATs.

A netizen who goes by the name of “Just catch you smiling” provided more details in a social media post, saying that the patient had picked up his nephew from an elementary school, visited a couple of shops—including a hardware store—and that his contacts totaled 128.

Townspeople in Wangji have begun staying at home, according to netizens’ social media posts. Streets are deserted and local shops have closed up, they said.

Frank Yue
Frank Yue
Author
Frank Yue is a Canada-based journalist for The Epoch Times who covers China-related news. He also holds an M.A. in English language and literature from Tianjin Foreign Studies University, China.
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