Xinfadi agricultural products wholesale market is closed on June 13. (Photo by Wu Xiaohui/chinadaily.com.cn)
Eight more COVID-19 cases were detected in Beijing as of 7:00 am on Sunday, all linked to the city's Xinfadi market, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told media at a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
Xinfadi, a large wholesale market that sells fruits, vegetables and meat, is located in Beijing's Fengtai district and has been caught in the spotlight after a new coronavirus cluster was linked to it. Sunday's new coronavirus cases have brought the total number of new COVID-19 cases in Beijing since June 11 to 51.
Beijing reported zero local transmissions for 56 days before June 11.
So far, at least six districts in Beijing have reported confirmed cases, with Fengtai being the hardest hit with 37 cases.
Other districts include Xicheng, Fangshan, Daxing, Haidian and Chaoyang.
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People take nucleic acid samples at a stadium in Beijing, China, June 14, 2020. [Photo/Chinanews.com]
Level-2 emergency response reinstated in Fengtai district
Following the new cluster, Beijing has adjusted its public health emergency response back to level 2 for all communities in Fengtai district on Sunday.
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.
Fengtai authorities also pledged to test all 46,000 residents living near the market.
Since Saturday, 11 communities near the market have activated closed-off management, meaning no one is allowed to enter or exit.
Meanwhile, round-the-clock personnel were dispatched to all Fengtai communities to check temperatures, inspect and verify health codes, ensure people are not gathering in large groups and monitor the health of residents.
According to the district official, as of 3:00 pm on Sunday, 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 are 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.
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The long-distance bus terminal near Xinfadi agricultural products wholesale market in Beijing's Fengtai district has suspended service from Saturday. [Photo/Chinanews.com]
Ten regions across Beijing upgrade risk level
Ten regions in four districts in Beijing have upgraded their COVID-19 risk level from Saturday.
Huaxiang town in Fengtai is now the only high-risk area in China after the risk level in the region was moved up to the highest on Sunday.
51 new cases in four days all related to Xinfadi market
At another press briefing held on Sunday morning, Beijing municipal authorities confirmed 36 patients from Saturday were linked to the Xinfadi wholesale market.
The 36 new cases, 15 males and 21 females, consist of 27 individuals who worked at the market, while the remaining nine were exposed either directly or indirectly to the market.
Of the six cases reported on Friday were three who worked at the market and another three who visited the market.
The very first case in the new cluster also visited the market.
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