China puts ten more Beijing neighbourhoods under lockdown to contain fresh COVID-19 outbreak

The Chinese government on Monday (June 15) closed off ten more neighbourhoods in Beijing in attempts to restrict the outspread of a fresh coronavirus outbreak linked to a food market.

City official Li Junjie declared at a press conference that new cases were found in a second wholesale market in northwestern Haidian district, and as a precautionary measure, the market and its nearby schools would be shut down, and people living in and around the ten communities will be placed under lockdown.

Previously on Sunday, China had put the Xinfadi market under lockdown, which is their major seafood and fruit and vegetable market.

The decision comes on the back of 53 people, who visited the market either for shopping or worked there were tested COVID-19 positive.

The new coronavirus cases have serged the government to temporarily close the market, partly or completely close five more in the capital and announce lockdown in 11 nearby residential areas and nine schools, The New York Times quoted the Beijing health commission as saying.

After months of advocating that China has been able to control the spread of COVID-19 virus, however, in recent weeks the nation has reported new cases.

"We would like to warn everyone not to drop their guard even for a second in epidemic prevention control; we must be prepared for a prolonged fight with the virus," The Washington Post quoted Xu Hejian, a spokesman for the Beijing municipal government, as saying at a news conference.

"We have to stay alert to the risks of imported cases and to the fact that epidemic control in our city is complicated and serious and will be here for a long time," he added.