BEIJING (Reuters) – Several districts of the Chinese capital set up security checkpoints, closed schools and ordered people to be tested for the novel coronavirus on Monday after an unexpected spike of cases linked to the biggest wholesale food market in Asia.
People wearing face masks commute inside a subway station during morning rush hour, following new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in Beijing, China June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
After nearly two months with no new infections, Beijing officials have reported 79 cases over the past four days, the city’s biggest cluster of infections since February.
The return of the coronavirus has shrouded Beijing, home to the headquarters of many big corporations, in uncertainty at a time when China is trying to shake off the economic torpor caused by the disease.
“The risk of the epidemic spreading is very high, so we should take resolute and decisive measures,” Xu Hejiang, spokesman for the Beijing city government, told a news conference.
The outbreak has been traced to the sprawling Xinfadi market, where thousands of tonnes of vegetables, fruits and meats change hands each day.
A complex of warehouses and trading halls spanning an area the siz