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Outbreaks of new corona virus in China make Beijing take ‘wartime’ steps
The Chinese capital reported 36 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total to 79 since a local infectious infection was reported on June 12 for the first time in almost two months, according to the National Health Commission.
The case is linked to the Xinfadi market in the southwest of the city, which supplies most of the capital’s fresh fruit and vegetables. The market, which also sells meat and seafood, has been closed since Saturday.
The new cluster has sent shock waves across China, with Beijing city government spokesman Xu Hejian describing it as an “extraordinary period” during Sunday’s press conference.
The sudden reappearance of the virus in Beijing, previously thought to be among the safest cities in the country, has increased the prospect of a second wave of infection and the possibility of reintroduction of the type of sweeper lock which previously made most of the country stopped and hammered. the economy.
“Wartime” actions
The authorities imposed closure on 11 housing complexes around the market, strictly forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. Residents will check their temperature and report it daily, and their food and daily needs are sent.
Beijing also launched mass nucleic acid testing for the corona virus, establishing 193 sample stands throughout the city. More than 76,000 people were tested on Sunday, with 59 people tested positive, Xu said at a press conference on Monday.
The nucleic acid test works by detecting the genetic code of the virus, and can be more effective in detecting infections, especially in the initial stages, than tests that check the immune response, although the latter is easier to do.
Fengtai District has collected samples of 8,950 people who work in the Xinfadi market. So far, more than 6,000 samples have been tested and the results have all been negative, according to Xu.
The authorities also tracked and collected samples of nearly 30,000 people who had gone to the market in the 14 days before closing. All of the 12,000 tests carried out so far have shown negative results, Xu said.
The Beijing government has ordered anyone who visits the market and their close contacts to stay at home for two weeks for medical observation. This also delayed the resumption of classes for elementary school students, which were originally scheduled for Monday.
Several local officials, including Fengtai deputy district head, were dismissed after the outbreak.
This outbreak is not the first time the virus has returned. In May, several parts of the country’s northeast were quickly locked tight after an import case caused an outbreak among local people.
However, before the new cluster, Beijing recorded only 420 local infections and 9 deaths compared to more than 80,000 confirmed cases and 4,634 deaths nationwide, thanks to the strict travel restrictions imposed at the start of the pandemic.
Like most other countries, life in Beijing is returning to normal, with the reopening of businesses and schools, and the crowd returning to shopping centers, restaurants and parks.
Search for the source
The outbreak in Beijing will be the latest test of China’s corona virus containment strategy.
But the Beijing authorities are still trying to trace the source of the latest outbreak, but promised to conduct “the most stringent epidemiological investigation.”
Zhang Yuxi, market leader, told the government-owned Beijing News on Friday that a virus had been detected on the chopping board used by importing salmon sellers in the market, which led to fears of wider contamination. Some supermarket chains have since removed salmon from their shelves, according to the Beijing Daily.
Steven Jiang and Shawn Deng from CNN contributed to the reporting.
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