Strict measures enforced in Beijing as more COVID-19 cases reported

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

Eight more COVID-19 cases were detected in Beijing as of 7 am on June 14, all linked to the city's Xinfadi market. It has brought the total number of new cases in Beijing since June 11 to 51. Beijing had reported zero local transmissions for 56 days before June 11. 

The deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Pang Xinghuo, shared details with the media at a press conference later in the evening. 

Xinfadi, a large wholesale market that sells fruits, vegetables and meat, is located in Beijing's Fengtai District and it has been caught in the spotlight after a new coronavirus cluster having been linked to it. 

So far, at least six districts in Beijing have reported confirmed cases, with Fengtai being the hardest hit with 37 cases. The other districts included Xicheng, Fangshan, Daxing, Haidian and Chaoyang. 

Following the new cluster, Beijing has adjusted its public health emergency response back to level 2 for all communities in Fengtai District on June 14. 

Speaking at the media briefing, the official revealed that 8,186 swab samples had been collected from people who worked at or have been to the market, out of which 5,803 have tested negative for the virus so far The Fengtai authorities also pledged to test all 46,000 residents living near the market. 

11 communities near the market have activated closed-off management, meaning no one is allowed to enter or exit, since June 13. 

Meanwhile, round-the-clock personnel were dispatched to all Fengtai communities to check temperatures, inspect and verify health codes, ensure people were not gathering in large groups and monitor the health of residents.

According to the district official, as of 3 pm on June 14, as many as 394 people who came into close contact with people confirmed to have the virus have been traced, 111 of them have been placed in group quarantine. The rest, who were now observing home isolation, will be moved into centralized quarantine. 

Eleven hotels in Fengtai with 1,000 room capacity will be allocated for quarantine use, the official said. 10 regions in four districts in Beijing have upgraded their COVID-19 risk level since June 13. Huaxiang town in Fengtai was now the only high-risk area in China after the risk level in the region was moved up to the highest on June 14.