The number of confirmed cases in a new COVID-19 epidemic in China's far west has climbed to 17. The National Health Commission said Saturday that 16 more cases had been identified in the previous 24 hours in the Xinjiang region, in addition to a very first case.

The outbreak at the city of Urumqi is the newest to pop up since China largely contained the national spread of this virus in March. The biggest was a recent outbreak in Beijing that infected more than 330 people.

Government in Urumqi have reduced subways, buses and taxis and shut off several residential areas, according to Chinese media reports. They also placed restrictions on individuals leaving the city, including a suspension of subway service to the airport.

China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the homeland of the largely Muslim Uighur ethnic community. The area has long been blanketed with extreme security, which China says is crucial to stop terrorist action.