Beijing takes precautionary measures to curb infections due to a recent COVID-19 outbreak.
Rabat – Beijing did not register any new COVID-19 cases for nearly two months, until that streak broke on June 11. Since then, a total of 79 locals have tested positive for the virus.
The Chinese government had started easing the nationwide lockdown in April, and public spaces such as schools, shops, and offices resumed operations. This occurred during a time when much of the world was observing China as a post-pandemic example.
Many anticipated a second coronavirus wave in China, and after months of eased restrictions, coronavirus reappeared in Beijing, one of the most populous cities in the world.
Beijing officials immediately sealed the area where they detected cases and began mass COVID-19 testing.
Authorities confirmed that the new cases originated in a wholesale market, Xinfadi, the largest of its kind in Asia. The market provides supplies for tens of thousands of people every day. Seeing cases detected in a market of this scale has instilled fear not only in the hearts of citizens, but also the officials of Beijing.
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Senior city government official Xu Ying made a comparison in a news conference between the efforts to contain COVID-19 in the area and war. “7,200 neighborhoods and nearly 100,000 epidemic-control workers had entered the “battlefield,” Xu said. In other words, the market and its surrounding neighborhoods have been sealed, while China prepares for mass testing across the area.
The Chinese government imposed a strict series of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus. These included the reinforcement of security checkpoints that restrict movement. Schools and sports venues, and other public spaces such as malls, offices, and supermarkets started checking the temperature of all visitors.
The global coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and spread rapidly across the region. The number of cases peaked in February and started to decrease in March, as most infected patients had made a full recovery at that point. The containment remained stable until the recent outbreak in Beijing.
