Beijing shuts down market, reverses some reopening plans after more than 50 coronavirus cases found


Beijing authorities swiftly shut down the largest wholesale food market in the Chinese capital Saturday, as well as residential communities in the surrounding area, after more than 53 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the city.
Nearly every infected person had worked or shopped at the Xinfadi market, where the virus was reportedly detected on cutting boards for imported salmon. Of the 53 cases, 46 — all market employees — were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis.
The outbreak comes more than 50 days since Beijing saw its last reported local coronavirus case, and the city had slowly been returning to normal. Now, Beijing is tightening traffic controls into and out of the city, paramilitary police reportedly stand guard outside the market, and plans to reopen primary schools and hold some athletic and cultural events have been reversed. Officials said they will set up temporary open-air trading posts so fruit and vegetables remain available.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The news out of Beijing highlights the difficulty of suppressing the virus. Similarly, in Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown (D) temporarily paused the state's reopening efforts Friday after it recorded the highest daily number of new infections since the pandemic began. Experts believe the virus could eventually make a resurgence in places where it has dwindled, although Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a massive second wave is not "inevitable" if "you approach it the proper way." Read more at The New York Times and The Associate Press.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans