Coronavirus: Beijing market outbreak ‘coming to an end’, health expert says

New cases mostly caused by community spread by those who had been exposed to Xinfadi, Feng Zijian, deputy director of Chinese CDC says

Outbreak ‘was discovered very early’ and strong control measures helped contain it, he says

Reading Time:2 minutes

At least four Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Beijing that had no links to the Xinfadi wholesale food market. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 5:30pm, 23 Jun 2020Updated: 11:01pm, 23 Jun 2020

The coronavirus outbreak that began at a wholesale food market in Beijing is under control, a senior health expert said, but the risk of community spread remains, after the city confirmed six new cases with no links to the original infection.

While most of the cases reported over the weekend were linked to Xinfadi market – which has been responsible for 249 patients reported since June 11 – several had no clear source of infection.

On Sunday, a married couple in Beijing were confirmed as having Covid-19 though neither had ever visited the market or knowingly been in close contact with anyone who had.

The wife, however, has a job that involves buying food from markets and delivering it to restaurants and homes in the city.

A residential compound she visited on June 12 has been mentioned in the travel histories of four other confirmed cases.

Another of the infections was a 31-year-old woman who works at the same supermarket as the unnamed wife, while a fourth was a 47-year-old food delivery worker in the city’s Chaoyang district.