This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
Beijing has been gripped by a new outbreak of the coronavirus, with 57 new cases reported on Sunday, the highest daily figure since April.
The National Health Commission confirmed that 36 of the new cases were domestic infections in the capital, with the other two cases reported in north-eastern Liaoning province.
The outbreak has been linked to a meat and vegetable market in south Beijing, with several cases connected to the Xinfadi wholesale market emerging over the weekend.
As a result, the market was closed, and hundreds of police officers and paramilitary police were deployed to the area to enforce lockdowns and maintain order.
Residents in 11 residential estates near the market have been ordered to stay home, and several schools and kindergartens have been closed in a bid to stamp out the outbreak.
State-run media reported that the virus was detected on chopping boards used to handle imported salmon, and that major supermarket chains had removed stocks of salmon from their shelves.
Beijing authorities have ordered a city-wide food safety inspection, focusing on fresh and frozen meat, poultry, and fish in supermarkets, warehouses, and catering services.
Despite the outbreak, some residents remain calm, with one fruit and vegetable seller saying that business was as usual on her stand and that she was not particularly afraid of the new outbreak.
However, others have expressed concern, with one trader saying that people were scared and that the disease was 'really scary'.
