Fifty-three New Covid-19 Cases in Beijing; Major Steps Taken

June 13, 2020 (EIRNS)—A major seafood and produce market in Beijing, which has 1,000 employees, has been shut down, along with eleven neighborhoods and schools, after a cluster of 53 new COVID-19 cases emerged among employees and customers of the market. Only seven of the cases had symptoms. Massive testing of people in the area has begun.

The Xinfadi market supplies 90% of Beijing’s fruits and vegetables, according to the state media, as reported in the New York Times. Beijing is also tightening traffic controls into and out of the city, barring inter-provincial tour groups and suspending sporting events, according to official announcements and local news reports, the Times says.

Beijing had not reported any new locally transmitted cases for eight weeks before today.

Officials also collected environmental samples and tested meat and seafood from the market, some of which came back positive. The virus was also detected on cutting boards for imported salmon, leading to an order for supermarket chains throughout the city to discard their stocks of salmon.