LOCKDOWN REDUX

Beijing Shuts Down 11 Districts, Launches ‘Wartime Emergency Mode’ After New COVID Cases Found at a Market

The capital city banned tourism and shut down 11 districts after a new cluster of COVID-19 was found tied to a wholesale market.

The city of Beijing banned tourism and locked down 11 districts on Saturday morning after a new cluster of COVID-19 was tied to the Xinfadi wholesale market. Officials tested 517 people at the market Friday and found 45 asymptomatic positive cases after six people who had shopped there tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Chu Junwei told reporters the district is now in “wartime emergency mode” to stop the virus from spreading further. Authorities also removed salmon from all major supermarkets in the 11 districts after COVID-19 was found on the chopping boards used to process and pack fish. Beijing authorities will test more than 10,000 people tied to the market. Beijing has also cancelled plans to reopen schools on Monday for students in grades one through three because of the new outbreak. Sporting events and inter-provincial tourism are also banned.