The Suihua government of Heilongjiang province has repealed its education bureau's decision to expel a student from the city's No 2 Middle School, according to a statement released by the city's epidemic control and prevention headquarters on Tuesday.

The bureau and the school did not have a correct understanding of the epidemic prevention and control policy and improperly punished the student, the statement said.

The headquarters urged the school to correct the mistake and allow the student to return to campus immediately.

Staff members who were responsible will be admonished, the statement said.

The Suihua education bureau had released a statement on Monday saying that the senior student had been expelled for failing to report to the school that a family member had returned from outside the city on April 11.

The family member was then identified as a close contact of an infected person, leading to serious consequences. Eight teachers and all the student's classmates and family members were quarantined, the statement said.