New Covid-19 outbreak at Chinese market is a warning for countries around world looking to ease restrictions

Health experts say outbreak is a reminder for all nations to stay vigilant and be ready to test and contact trace at the first sign of resurgence

Fishing industry reassures Hong Kong diners that salmon in city does not come through Beijing and unlikely to be affected

Reading Time:3 minutes

On Sunday, medical personnel wearing protective suits gather before swab testing people who have recently visited Xinfadi Market in Beijing or live near the market. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:30pm, 15 Jun 2020Updated: 1:12am, 16 Jun 2020

Beijing had gone 55 days without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19 until a sudden outbreak hit the city last week, leading to warnings from disease experts that the virus remains a global threat even as some countries are easing quarantines and other measures to contain it.

“This outbreak is an important reminder about the ongoing threat posed by Covid-19,” said Michael Baker, professor of public health at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

“Most countries that have contained Covid-19 have had setbacks, with outbreaks occurring even after quite long periods without cases,” said Baker, adding that eliminating the virus remained the goal to protect lives.

While the outbreak in Beijing took authorities by surprise, the World Health Organisation warned a week ago that global Covid-19 cases were surging worldwide. On June 8, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said global infections had reached a record high of more than 136,000 cases the day before on June 7.

Because the virus has already shown its ability to rapidly spread across borders through transport networks, the new outbreak in Beijing is likely to serve as a warning to all cities and countries about the threat of reinfections as they lift restrictions to get businesses and economies working again.

The outbreak in China’s capital has been linked to the Xinfadi wholesale food market, with traces of the virus found in areas used for processing imported salmon.