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It was unclear if the three new Harbin cases were linked to the current outbreak in the eastern province of Fujian.
According to state television, one of the cases was found when the person went to a local hospital for testing.
The other two, close contacts of the first case, returned to China from the Philippines in late August and were first quarantined in the southern city of Guangzhou before being quarantined again at home in Harbin.
In Fujian, the cities of Xiamen and Putian reported a total of 13 new cases for Tuesday, according to the NHC on Wednesday, down from the average daily count last week.
Vice premier Sun Chunlan said on Monday that local officials should not be blindly optimistic about the progress made in Fujian, because uncertainties remain and the battle against the virus was still in a “deadlock”, state media reported.
Sun demanded that efforts to seal up communities deemed of virus risk should be stricter, according to Fujian Daily.
The four Fujian cities of Putian, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou that have reported local cases have all told residents not to leave town unless for essential reasons.
They have also locked down areas of higher risk, closed various public venues, cut certain long-distance bus services, and halted offline lessons at kindergartens, primary schools and high schools.
Zhangzhou has told local authorities to tighten approval for foreigners seeking to enter the city.
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