China has reported 57 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday which is the highest daily figure since April. Now the authorities are concerned about the resurgence of the SARS-CoV-2 in the country, mainly in Beijing this time.
The Coronavirus outbreak in China had been brought under control through strict lockdown that was imposed earlier this year. But once again, a new outbreak noticed in Beijing that has been linked to a meat and vegetable market in the southern region of the capital.
As per China's National Health Commission (NHC), the officials detected 36 new cases of domestic infections in Beijing. Two other cases that were reported on Sunday in the northeastern Liaoning province were claimed to have contacts with the Beijing cases.
The alert was sounded after the NHS confirmed the first cases in Beijing for two months on Friday, June 12. The officials at Beijing delayed the return of students in primary schools that had not already resumed classes.
The Beijing Market: New Infection Cases in the Capital
In 2019 December, when Coronavirus started to spread across Wuhan, a wet market in the city was claimed to be the source of the disease. Even though in the past few months, experts, politicians, including U.S. President Donald Trump have put forward several theories behind the origin of SARS-CoV-2, many people still claim that the market theory can not be overlooked.
In case of the recent infection cases in Beijing, some of them were linked to the Xinfadi wholesale market. It was revealed that more COVID-19 cases connected with the market emerged Saturday after wider testing. While authorities closed the market, as per AFP reports, they noticed hundreds of police officers, many of them were wearing masks and gloves and standing guard near the Xinfadi market. It was also reported that dozens of paramilitary police were deployed there Saturday to secure the area.
The new cluster of Coronavirus infections in the capital of China has prompted fresh lockdowns with citizens ordered to stay home in 11 residential estates near the market. The officials are now worried about the health safety and food supply chain. They have already closed some other markets in Beijing to control the spread of the virus.
As per Global Times, the virus was detected on the chopping boards used to handle imported salmon, forcing major supermarket chains to remove their stocks of salmon. After this revelation the market supervision authorities ordered a city-wide food safety inspection focusing on the fresh and frozen meat items, poultry as well as fish in supermarkets, warehouses, and catering services.
So far, nine schools and kindergartens near the Xinfadi wholesale market have been closed, and sporting events, group dining, and cross-provincial tour groups have been put on hold.
