Beijing residents are rounded up and put in quarantine as the city goes back into lock-down and new travel bans

There remains a sense of unease on Asian and global markets about signs of a COVID-19 resurgence, just as the city was getting back on track and after months of no new cases. ‘A cluster like this is a concern and it needs to be investigated and controlled – and that is exactly what the Chinese authorities are doing,’ WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said. China had eased much of its anti-coronavirus measures in recent months as the government all but declared victory against the disease that emerged in Wuhan late last year.

“The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe,’ Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian warned at a press conference. The country’s Vice Premier Sun Chunlan urged the city’s officials to impose ‘the strictest’ virus control measures to contain the spread of the virus, which has been linked to a massive food wholesale market called Xinfadi.  The World Health Organization had already expressed concern about the cluster, pointing to Beijing’s size and connectivity. Officials in the city said they would test stall owners and managers at all of its food markets, restaurants and government canteens. All markets, restaurants, canteens and offices have been instructed to carry out deep clean and disinfection. Other public facilities, such as museums, galleries and parks, can only run at 30 per cent of its maximum capacity.  –Daily Mail