Chinese authorities are moving very rapidly to contain the new COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing, which so far seems to be limited to individuals who had contact with the Xinfadi food market, and to try to determine the origin of the problem. According to China Daily, the Xinfadi market has been closed and 11 nearby neighborhoods have been locked down. “Tracing and testing have been ramped up to follow potential transmission chains from those working at the market and those who have visited it recently. It has not yet been determined how the virus first gained a hold in the market. But a National Health Commission expert team… [determined that] the virus was found on the chopping boards in shops selling imported frozen salmon.”
But authorities are stressing that this is just one possible source of the problem. “Gene samples of the virus obtained from the market and throat swabs of people tested at the market are being analyzed to see if they are the same strain that appeared in Beijing two months ago, or similar to the one that was found in Harbin and Shulan in the northeast of the country, or the strains prevalent in the United States and Europe.”