China has found significant traces of coronavirus in a Beijing meat and seafood market which has been linked back to a resurgence of infections, Reuters reported.
Beijing reimposed some of its restrictions after a new cluster of coronavirus cases emerged, infecting more than 100 people. The cases were traced back to the huge Xinfadi market, where a preliminary report says the meat and seafood sections are severely contaminated with the virus, according to Reuters.
Many of the infected people work at the market in the meat and seafood sections; others work in the beef and mutton sections. The low temperatures at the market paired with high humidity could be the reasons seafood markets are a source of outbreaks, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a Thursday briefing. (RELATED:Beijing Deploys War-Like Measures Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Tied To A Huge Market Place)
The Xinfadi market supplies 80% of Beijing’s meat and vegetables, according to Nikkei Asian Review.
Beijing’s city government ordered the closing of all schools and restricted travel between provinces to contain the spread, in addition to locking down residential compounds in high-risk areas. In order to trace the nearly 200,000 people who were exposed to the market, 100,000 community workers were dispatched.
Roughly 40% of flights in and out of China’s capital were also canceled Tuesday.
“The epidemic is a mirror that not only reflects the dirty and messy aspects of wholesale markets but also their low level management conditions,” the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said, according to Nikkei Asian Review.