Beijing on alert amid surge in market virus cases

Beijing on alert amid surge in market virus cases

Xinfadi wholesale food market is closed, with a second day of record high COVID-19 cases, and no clear source of the cluster.

Caroline Malone reports.

Security is tight around a massive Beijing food market - that's been linked to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

The city reported 36 new infections on Monday (June 15) - a second consecutive day of record numbers - creating the biggest concentration of infections in the city since February.

The cases have been linked to the Xinfadi wholesale food market.

It's closed to the public, and tens of thousands of people living nearby are being tested.

Mr Yang is a local courier, and says many other areas have restricted access too.

"Now it's much harder to get into some places, some compounds, alleyways and the like.

We can't get in anymore.

Now things are very strict.

You need passes to get in and out of some of these compounds.

But people like us can't get such a pass." Xinfadi is vast: it claims to be the largest agricultural wholesale market in Asia.

It supplies 80 percent of Beijing's vegetables and meat, over an area roughly the size of 160 football pitches.

Some provincial governments are warning residents not to travel to the capital.

Liaoning and Hebei province have reported a handful of cases connected to Beijing.

Accountant Mr Han says the situation is of concern.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried.

I came to Beijing on the 13th.

If this was one day later then I definitely wouldn't be able to come and find an internship.

And right now there aren't that many people on the subway, there aren't as many as before.

I think it's alright.

If everybody does their own preventive measures then it should be enough." The World Health Organization has called for thorough investigations to better under the source of the cluster.

The origin of this outbreak has not yet been identified.