Beijing major food market tests 2.3 million people after new coronavirus outbreak

June 21, 2020

News Desk: Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has suspended its operations in Beijing after some of its employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The capital city reported 22 new confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday.

Nearly 2.3 million people in Beijing have received nucleic acid tests over the past week as the city strives to contain domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases following a fresh coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese capital’s wholesale food market.

Beijing authorities have set up a total of 2,083 sampling sites in 474 locations across the city, with 7,472 medical staffers taking shifts to conduct tests, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since June 13, people working in the wholesale market of Xinfadi, to which most newly-emerged cases were related, residents in nearby communities, and people who visited the market have been organised to take nucleic acid tests.

Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has suspended its operations in Beijing after some of its employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The city has also prioritised the testing for employees of restaurants, grocery stores, wholesale markets and courier and food delivery, according to the municipal government.

Beijing reported 22 new confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, three suspected cases and three asymptomatic cases on Saturday, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said on Sunday.

From June 11 to 20, Beijing had reported 227 confirmed domestically transmitted cases, all of whom were receiving treatment in hospitals, it added.

Meanwhile, there are 18 asymptomatic cases still under medical observation, and one imported case hospitalised in Beijing.