Mass testing in Beijing after new cluster triggers lockdown

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Mass testing in Beijing after new cluster triggers lockdown
Mass testing in Beijing after new cluster triggers lockdown

Beijing : Beijing held mass coronavirus testing on Sunday after reports of new cases in the city that prompted travel warnings across the country amid fears of another outbreak.

The deadly contagion had been brought largely under control in China through strict lockdowns that were imposed early this year but have since been lifted.

A fresh cluster of cases was found at a wholesale food market that pushed for alarms and brought back tight restrictions.

The National Health Commission (NHC) reported 57 new infections on Sunday, of which 36 were local transmissions in Beijing, all linked to the Xinfadi market.

The 19 other infections were among Chinese nationals returning from abroad.

Liaoning was among several provinces to advise residents against travelling to Beijing due to the new outbreak - along with cities such as nearby Tianjin and several in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing.

In Beijing, lockdowns have been imposed on a very small part of the city that includes 11 residential estates near the market which supplies most of the city’s fresh produce.

Officials said Sunday they planned to carry out virus tests on 46,000 residents in the area surrounding the market and had set up 24 testing stations.