Volunteers from the Beijing Blue Sky Rescue Team spray disinfectant in Yuegezhuang wholesale market in Fengtai district, Beijing
So far, the new cases have been linked to the Xinfadi market and have not spread widely. Beijing immediately tracked and controlled the outbreak after the initial cases were found, which played a role in preventing the spread of the epidemic, Wang said on Tuesday.
With the number of confirmed cases rising, Beijing immediately took prevention and control measures. Up to now, all communities in Beijing have adopted a Level-III emergency response, Level-II prevention and control measures, and Level-I working status. At the same time, Beijing has screened nearly 200,000 people who had visited the Xinfadi market since May 30, with all required to take nucleic acid tests and self-quarantine at home for further observation. On Sunday alone, Beijing tested 76,499 people and found 59 positive cases.
Despite the similarities between the outbreaks in Wuhan and Beijing, the prevention and control ability and the cognition of novel coronavirus have been greatly improved, Wang said. "Compared to the initial stage of the outbreak in Wuhan, we have a very clear understanding of the virus, and people's awareness of prevention and control has made great progress. The experience accumulated in the early days of prevention and control also provides an effective reference for prevention and control measures taken at this stage."
In a rare move since Sunday, Beijing has been holding press conferences about the COVID-19 situation twice a day. On Tuesday's morning conference, health authorities reported another 27 confirmed cases in Beijing, bringing the total to 106.
Chen Yankai, a deputy director of the Beijing market supervision bureau, said Beijing has disinfected 276 farm produce markets and closed 11 such underground and semi-underground markets as of 6 am Tuesday, and a total of 33,173 catering services providers have also been disinfected. Beijing is expected to finish city-wide sanitation of markets and restaurants by Wednesday.
Workers arranges vegetables at the closed Xinfadi market in Beijing
Under the COVID-19 emergency Level II, public places such as libraries, museums, art galleries and parks will implement time-limited reservations with visitor traffic no more than 30 percent.
Trans-province group travel will be halted as well. Chen Bei the senior Beijing government official also announced that Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport have suspended inter-provincial flight services.
People from medium- and high-risk areas and personnel related to Xinfadi wholesale market are prohibited from leaving Beijing, Chen said.
Schools in Beijing have been forced to close
On-campus classes for all primary, middle, high school and university students will be suspended from Wednesday to curb the spread of the virus as soon as possible, she noted.
Flights to and from Beijing were largely canceled shortly after Beijing raised the emergency response to Level II, under which Beijing residents who want to leave the city are required to show a nucleic acid negative permit within 7 days.