Yesterday, a Beijing official warned that the situation related to the emerging coronavirus was "very serious" in the Chinese capital, as 27 new infections were recorded after the discovery of a group of cases necessitated the launch of a massive tracking and examination program.
The reappearance of "Covid-19", which is believed to have started from the Xinfady wholesale market in the capital, sparked panic at a time when China largely controlled its outbreak, by conducting extensive checks and imposing closures earlier this year.
The new cases have raised the number of confirmed infections in Beijing in the past five days to 106, at a time when the authorities have closed about 30 residential compounds in the city and have conducted checks for tens of thousands of people.
In recent months, China has eased most of its measures to contain the virus, while the government considered it victorious over the epidemic that occurred in the central city of Wuhan late last year.
"The epidemic situation in the capital is very dangerous," warned Beijing authorities spokesman Zhou Hejian at a press conference.
The World Health Organization, in turn, expressed concern about the range of infections that have been discovered, noting the size of Beijing and its connection with other regions.
Officials in the capital said that they would conduct checks for the stalls' owners and all those who manage the food markets in the city, in addition to restaurants and government canteens.
The director of a food chain store, Gao Hongli, told France Press that tests showed all 13 of his employees were free of the virus.
He noted that checks are reassuring for customers, but he has confirmed a 10-fold increase in online orders in recent days.
"People fear congestion in stores and HIV infection," he added.
And the "New China News Agency" said that the possibilities of conducting a new corona virus screening had been raised to 90,000 people a day.
Retired Wu Yaling, 57, stood in a long queue of people wearing masks, awaiting a Covid-19 examination, in a park opposite a hospital in central Beijing.
"I try not to leave the house as much as possible," she said, noting that her house is near a market that has been closed.
And the "New China News Agency" announced that the city's transportation authority prevented taxis and vehicles that provide passenger transport services from leaving the city yesterday, in a new step in the measures to contain the virus.
Official media, yesterday, quoting local officials, stated that all groups considered at risk of infection, such as contacts close to confirmed cases, will not be allowed to leave the city.
Because of concern about the risk of infection, many provinces forced Beijing quarantine.
An order was issued the day before yesterday to close all indoor sports and entertainment venues in Beijing, while some cities across China warned that they would impose a quarantine on those arriving from the capital.
The National Health Commission recorded four new local cases in Hebei Province surrounding Beijing, while it found a case in Sichuan Province (southwest) related to the group of cases registered in Beijing.
The authorities are running a race against time, to track down people from Beijing who have traveled to other regions of China, while those who visited the capital are urged to do the examination.
Officials in Beijing announced that 276 agricultural markets and more than 33,000 stores and companies had been sterilized in the food and beverage sector, and 11 markets had been closed to control the spread of injuries. Closure measures were imposed on seven additional housing compounds yesterday.
"The outbreak (of the virus) in Beijing will most likely be controlled quickly," said the technical officer in the Qixing Wu Hualin (23 years) neighborhood.
"I think China is dealing with it better than other countries," said the employee, who was examined by Covid-19.
Last Sunday, officials warned that 200,000 people have visited the Xinfadi market, which provides more than 70% of Beijing's fruits and vegetables, since May 30.
More than 8,000 workers were tested at Shenfadi and sent to quarantine facilities.
Prior to the current wave of the epidemic, most of the infections recently recorded in China were citizens returning to their country at a time when the epidemic was spreading to other countries.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the virus strain detected in Beijing is "the main strain of the epidemic in European countries" itself.
Wu Zunyu, chief epidemiologist at the center, told the official Chinese television network that the virus had "probably" spread from outside China or from other regions of the country.
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Agricultural markets and more than 33,000 stores and companies in the food and beverage sector have been sterilized.
The Chinese authorities are racing against time, to track down people who have traveled from Beijing to other regions of the country.