The capital city of Xinjiang, Urumqi, in China has faced some of the strictest COVID-19 measures as fears rose of a possible outbreak after it registered its first positive case after five months without any new cases, the Daily Mail reported.

Notably, Xinjiang, China's Western Uighur region, has only reported 76 positive cases since January and plateaued with zero cases since 18 February. This is quite the feat considering that the pandemic started in China and that Urumqi alone is home to 3.5 million citizens.

Unfortunately, on Thursday, Xinjiang registered a positive case in Urumqi; a 24-year-old female retail worker who showed symptoms last Friday and tested positive on Wednesday. Three other asymptomatic cases were also detected after they had close contact with the 24-year-old.

This comes in spite the fact that, according to Chinese airlines, all air passengers flying to and from Urumqi have to test negative to their nucleic acid testing which they must undergo seven days before travelling.

Citizens of Urumqi are now living in fear of a new crisis after the government not only cancelled around 200 inbound and outbound flights, but also limited access to the airport itself by shutting down subway and shuttle bus services to it. 

According to the Daily Mail, Xinjiang officials have labelled these measures as some of "the strictest" they have seen throughout the course of the pandemic. 

During a meeting on Thursday, Xinjiang's Communist Party committee emphasised that channels of transmission have to be cut off and that the strictest and most decisive measures must be implemented to eradicate any chance of the virus spreading.  This includes close monitoring of highly dense populations, communities and neighbourhoods.

This all comes as Hong Kong topped its previous numbers of COVID-19 infections as it battles its third wave the virus. Additionally, China's capital, Beijing, has also been feeling the pressure as a seafood market related outbreak took over part of the city during the month of June.