China Confines Half a Million People Near Beijing Due to Covid-19

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Chinese authorities announced on Sunday, June 28th, the confinement of almost half a million people living on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Beijing. Since mid-June, the city has been experiencing a new outbreak of Covid-19, now classified as “serious and complex” by the government.

The Asian country had largely contained the epidemic, but the emergence of some 300 new cases in the city in a little over two weeks, fuelled the concern of a second wave of contagion.

The city government launched a major diagnostic campaign, closed schools, and called on the population of Beijing not to leave the capital. It also confined thousands of people who live in residential areas considered at risk.

On Sunday, local authorities announced the confinement of the Anxin canton, located 60 km south of Beijing in the Hebei province. Eleven cases related to the outbreak in Beijing were reported. From now on, only one person per family will be able to leave home once a day to buy food and medicine.

The Chinese Ministry of Health recorded 14 new cases in Beijing over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 311 since this new outbreak began. The epicenter was detected at the wholesale market in Xinfadi, in the south of the city, which supplies fresh produce mainly to supermarkets and restaurants.

About one third of new cases reported to date relate to the market’s beef and lamb section, city officials said at a press conference on Sunday. “The epidemic situation in the capital is serious and complex,” said city spokesman Xu Hejian.

Diagnostic tests are primarily directed at those who visited the market, restaurant workers, delivery workers, and people living in residential areas considered at risk. In all, 8.3 million samples were collected, and 7.7 million were analyzed, reported the city government.

The Chinese capital also limited public transportation to halt the spread of coronavirus cases. City neighborhoods were blocked and security points were placed in residential areas. Concerned about the risk of infection, other provinces enforced quarantine requirements for visitors from Beijing.

In addition to testing, prevention and control measures, Beijing stepped up inspection of markets of products such as fresh pork, beef and lamb, and frozen poultry. Other businesses, including supermarkets and restaurants, are being inspected to ensure there are no products infected with the pathogen.

Source: O Estado de S. Paulo