The Jilin Railway Station in the city of Jilin in Northeast China's Jilin province has been closed to passengers since 6 am on Wednesday as the city confirmed 21 local cases of COVID-19 over the past six days.

According to an announcement from the province, trains starting their runs in the city of Jilin will be suspended and trains passing through the city will not stop. Passengers who purchased tickets for trains starting in or passing through the city can ask for refunds online or in ticket offices.

The announcement did not say how long the temporary closure would last.

The closure was the consequence of the COVID-19 epidemic in the city, locals said.

Six local cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, one case of COVID-19 infection without symptoms was found and there was one suspected case of COVID-19 in the city on Tuesday, said Gan Dongping, vice-mayor of Jilin, at a press conference held by the Jilin provincial Government Information Office on Wednesday.

Since the first local case of COVID-19 was confirmed last Thursday in Shulan, a city under the administration of the city of Jilin, 21 local cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the city of Jilin, Gan said.

The 21 COVID-19 patients are being treated in the city's contagious disease hospital and they are in stable condition, the vice-mayor said.

By 8 am on Wednesday, 12 imported cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the city of Jilin. Nine people had been discharged from the hospital and three were being treated in the hospital and were in stable condition, Gan said.

Three groups of experts dispatched by the central government are helping the city trace the source of the locally confirmed cases of COVID-19. Another group will be dispatched by the central government to the city to help fight the epidemic, the vice-mayor said.

Huang Zhiling contributed to this story.