Beijing In ‘Wartime Emergency Mode’ After New Coronavirus Cluster Found At Market

TOPLINE

Beijing is back under partial lockdown with the discovery of dozens of new Covid-19 cases tied to a local market, nearly two months since the city reported its last domestic transmission and as the city was thought to have quelled the virus.

KEY FACTS

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“In accordance with the principle of putting the safety of the masses and health first, we have adopted lockdown measures for the Xinfadi market and surrounding neighbourhoods,” district official Chu Junweia told the media this week, adding that the district is in “wartime emergency mode.”

KEY BACKGROUND

Xinfadi food market bills itself as the largest wholesale agricultural market on the continent, and reportedly provides the vast majority of Beijing’s fruits and vegetables. The outbreak has drawn comparisons to the case of the market in Wuhan, China, where the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to have originated. China appears to have passed the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to strict lockdowns early on in the crisis and widespread contact tracing. However, China has faced accusations of not being transparent amid the pandemic and of reporting false Covid-19 numbers. On Saturday, China had nearly 85,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and had counted about 4,600 deaths.

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