Beijing has started mass-testing of close to 90,000 samples per day and initiated lockdown measures in a number of communities following 27 new reported cases of COVID-19, taking the total number of cases linked to the Xinfadi wholesale market to 106.
Calling the situation “extremely severe”, Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian said that it was the ‘top priority’ of the city to implement safety measures, PTI quoted him as saying.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Tuesday, 16 June, reported 40 new confirmed COVID-19 cases of which 27 were in Beijing. Officials reportedly said that it was an “explosive outbreak” of the novel coronavirus.
Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said the situation was very serious.
“Beijing is facing explosive and concentrated outbreaks even though the national epidemic has basically been blocked. The fact that it happened in Xinfadi, a large wholesale market, is a challenge in itself as we try to carry out epidemiological investigations,” he said.
Authorities in the city have reportedly locked down 21 residential communities after reporting zero cases of COVID-19 for 56 days. It is estimated that some 2 lakh people visited the Zinfadi market since 30 May. Two city official have reportedly been sacked 'misconduct in office during an epidemic’.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)