A town hall spokesman said Beijing was engaged in a "race against time" to contain the new outbreak, which has infected more than a hundred people over the past five days.
The city has increased its screening capacity to more than 90,000 people a day.
I don’t know what to make of this. Another seafood market. Another outbreak. The (quite expert) Chinese seem to think the frozen fish alone could be a vector? But this seems implausible to me.
— Nicholas A. Christakis (@NAChristakis) June 15, 2020
Salmon Shunned in China After Link to Beijing Virus Outbreak https://t.co/pR2qIZ8edE
Five markets have been shuttered – including the gigantic wholesale market of Xinfadi, one of the largest in Asia, where the virus was detected last week.
Some 30 residential areas near those markets have been quarantined for 14 days, confining thousands of residents.
Chinese media reported the virus was found on chopping boards used for imported salmon at the Xinfadi market, leading supermarkets to pull the fish from shelves.
On Monday authorities closed all sports and cultural sites, which had just reopened following the initial epidemic, along with many schools.
China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus strain found in Beijing did not resemble the type circulating across the rest of the country.
The fresh spike in cases has spurred fears of a second virus wave, with the World Health Organisation saying it is "very closely" monitoring the situation in Beijing, and would possibly send in more experts in the coming days.
