A Chinese province is offering cash rewards up to $800 for any resident who tracks down and catches illegal immigrants coming over the Russian border

• Authorities from Heilongjiang, a province in northeast China, are offering cash rewards to try to catch illegal immigrants, as the nation attempts to stem a second outbreak of the coronavirus.
• For useful information that leads to the capture of an illegal immigrant, residents will collect about $425, but if a resident catches an illegal immigrant themselves, the cash reward rises to $818.
• As of April 15, China had 83,306 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 3,345 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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The going rate for catching an illegal immigrant in northeast China is about $818.

Heilongjiang, a province in the northeast of China, with a 2,600 mile-long border with Russia, has increased measures to try to stop a second bout of coronavirus cases. Its latest action, by all appearances, is a cash bounty, according to the Irish Times.

Local authorities have set up a hotline and offered 5,000 yuan (US$818) to any resident who catches an illegal immigrant. Residents can get 3,000 yuan (US$425) if they have information that leads to the capture of an illegal immigrant.

On April 12, China reported 108 new cases, its highest daily total since March 5, Business Insider previously reported. As of April 15, China had 83,306 confirmed cases with 3,345 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Pertinently, on April 14, 79 out of 89 newly reported cases were from Russia, according to Chinese health officials — meaning almost 90 percent of its cases on that day, according to the Irish Times.

The possibility of Chinese residents in Russia — of which there are anywhere between 100,000 and 1.5 million — returning home was also the subject of a recent op-ed by the Chinese government-controlled newspaper the Global Times. The op-ed outlined concerns residents would try to return since "they know that China has done a good job in domestic prevention and medical care is guaranteed."

"Thus," the op-ed said, " the willingness to return to China is strong among them."

It said: "The Chinese people have watched Russia became a severely affected country from one that did a great job. This should sound the alarm: China must strictly prevent the inflow of cases and avoid a second outbreak."

"For Chinese people in Russia, we encourage them to stay where they are to avoid being infected. The most effective way to prevent infection is to implement strict self-quarantine. The risk of long-distance travel is very high."

Along with the bounty, Suifenhe, a border city, and Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, now enforce 28-day quarantines for any new arrivals.

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