Beijing is reintroducing strict lockdown measures and rolling out mass testing after a fresh cluster of novel coronavirus cases emerged from the city’s largest wholesale food market, sparking fears of a resurgence of the deadly outbreak.
The Chinese capital reported 36 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number to 79 since a locally transmitted infection was reported on June 12 for the first time in nearly two months, according to the National Health Commission.
The cases are linked to Xinfadi market in the southwest of the city, which supplies most of the capital’s fresh fruit and vegetables. The market, which also sells meat and seafood, has been shut down since Saturday.
Fengtai district, where the Xinfadi market is located, announced Saturday the launch of a “wartime mechanism” and the establishment of a command centre to curb the spread of the virus.
