Southwest China's Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, has tightened up COVID-19 prevention and control in border areas as more imported cases have been detected over recent weeks.

On Friday, Yunnan reported 13 new confirmed cases, two of which were locally transmitted and 11 were from overseas.

Now the province has a total of 194 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Among the 126 imported ones, most were from Myanmar.

Cities sitting along the border are taking proactive measures in response to the increasingly serious situation. In Hekou County, which borders Vietnam, a countywide nucleic acid testing was carried out on Thursday and Friday. About 100,000 residents, including foreign nationals, received free tests at 197 sites.

During the weekend, a new round of nucleic acid testing will also be conducted in Jinghong, the capital city of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, a tropical region bordering Laos and Myanmar. The same drive will also be seen in some other areas like Maguan, a county in Wenshan Miao Autonomous Prefecture that shares a border with Vietnam.

The intensive actions came after reporting of sporadic infections during the past weeks in some border cities, particularly Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture sharing a long border with Myanmar.

During a meeting held on July 15, provincial CPC chief Ruan Facheng said it's the most pressing task and top priority for the province to guard the frontier and prevent more imported infections.

Ruan pointed out that more measures should be taken to plug the loopholes for illegal exit and entry, step up the construction of both physical barriers and related digital systems.

In fact, stowaways are the greatest hidden trouble in the fight against the epidemic in border regions. Take Ruili in Dehong for example, the city has seen a number of both Chinese and Myanmar nationals sneaking in through various secret channels, putting pressure on the city's anti-COVID-19 campaign. The city has thus beefed up workforce to guard the borderline.

In some areas with confirmed cases, strict lockdown measures are still in place. In Longchuan County next to Ruili, most of the entertainment venues have been required to suspend business. Residents have also been asked to postpone their weddings and simplify the funerals.

Many cities are also pressing ahead with vaccination work. The province is expected to keep staying vigilant before the pandemic eases off globally.