Since the first case was reported on Tuesday, Harbin has registered a total of 11 confirmed cases as of press time, local officials revealed at a press conference on Wednesday.
To screen out potential infections and cut off the virus' transmission, Harbin will have all of its residents tested by Friday.
In response, 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.
Starting on Wednesday, Harbin's Bayan county further accelerated its coronavirus controls, with the public transportation system being suspended and some communities sealed off after Tuesday's initial measures.
Communities in Bayan are being sealed off but residents are allowed to move around within their communities. Each family is allowed to have one person go out to purchase daily necessities every two days, according to a notice released by the Bayan county anti-epidemic group on Wednesday.
But residents living in communities close to areas with positive cases will have to stay indoors all day, and their daily necessities will be delivered to their homes. Two communities in Bayan were labeled as medium-risk regions.
Buses and taxis have suspended operations in the county. Only anti-epidemic vehicles and vehicles that deliver necessities are allowed on the roads.
The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported 28 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Thursday.
Of the new local cases, 20 were reported in Fujian and the other eight were reported in Heilongjiang.
Also reported were 15 new imported cases, with five in Yunnan, three in Tianjin, two each in Shanghai, Hubei and Guangdong, and one in Liaoning, the commission said.