Beijing's Xinfadi market, which was linked to a coronavirus outbreak in June, has suspended sales and storage of cold-chain and aquatic products.

China has ramped up testing of frozen foods, citing&nbsp;it has repeatedly discovered the coronavirus on imported products and their packaging, triggering mass scale testing of food and related personnel, suspension of certain imports and disruptions to trade flows.

According to state-backed Beijing News, several infections in recent months in Qingdao and Tianjin cities involved handlers of imported frozen food.

Workers in a particular environment who repeatedly come into contact with cold-chain products polluted by the coronavirus might be infected without proper protection, a Chinese official said earlier on Wednesday.

To this end, refrigerated meat, seafood and frozen products in the market were disposed, and the market has disinfected over a hundred cold storages and shut down their power.

However, officials cautioned that the risk to consumers of catching the virus from cold chain food products was "very low".

Beijing's Xinfadi market, which was linked to a coronavirus outbreak in June, has suspended sales and storage of cold-chain and aquatic products. China has ramped up testing of frozen foods, citing it has repeatedly discovered the coronavirus on imported products and their packaging, triggering mass scale testing of food and related personnel, suspension of certain imports and disruptions to trade flows.

Beijing's Xinfadi market, which was linked to a coronavirus outbreak in June, has suspended sales and storage of cold-chain and aquatic products. China has ramped up testing of frozen foods, citing it has repeatedly discovered the coronavirus on imported products and their packaging, triggering mass scale testing of food and related personnel, suspension of certain imports and disruptions to trade flows. According to state-backed Beijing News, several infections in recent months in Qingdao and Tianjin cities involved handlers of imported frozen food. Workers in a particular environment who repeatedly come into contact with cold-chain products polluted by the coronavirus might be infected without proper protection, a Chinese official said earlier on Wednesday. To this end, refrigerated meat, seafood and frozen products in the market were disposed, and the market has disinfected over a hundred cold storages and shut down their power. However, officials cautioned that the risk to consumers of catching the virus from cold chain food products was "very low".

Beijing's Xinfadi seafood market, linked to coronavirus outbreak, suspends sales

Chinese authorities have suspended imports of poultry products from a plant in the United States after it was hit by coronavirus.

The Chinese customs department said it had suspended operations after a cluster of COVID-19 was reported at the plant.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/millions-tested-as-beijing-reports-22-new-virus-cases-in-last-24-hours-307436/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Earlier, Chinese authorities had suspended imported of pork from a German processor Toennies after an outbreak was reported at the plant.

Tyson Inc said it was working with US authorities to ensure its food is produced in full compliance with government safety standards.

China's wet markets have come back into the spotlight after the outbreak of the virus in Beijing's Xinfadi market two weeks ago.

The virus which is believed to have first emerged from a market in Wuhan has put Chinese authorities on alert. Authorities in Beijing are now targeting food deliveries services in the capital focusing on riders to be tested as officials said all couriers in the city would be tested by next week.

The officials had earlier highlighted risk of the virus spreading through food packets in Beijing. China's capital reported 22 new cases 
of the virus on Friday as the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 200 in less than two weeks after the virus was first discovered at the Xinfadi market where salmon chopping boards were found to have traces of COVID-19.

Amid the crisis, China said it had identified a European strain of coronavirus in the Beijing outbreak, however, the World Health Organization(WHO) said more tests were needed to prove the results.

China on Monday had submitted the genome sequencing data of the Beijing outbreak with the WHO and the Global Influenza Data Initiative (GISAID). 
&nbsp;

Chinese authorities have suspended imports of poultry products from a plant in the United States after it was hit by coronavirus. The Chinese customs department said it had suspended operations after a cluster of COVID-19 was reported at the plant.

Chinese authorities have suspended imports of poultry products from a plant in the United States after it was hit by coronavirus. The Chinese customs department said it had suspended operations after a cluster of COVID-19 was reported at the plant. Watch: Earlier, Chinese authorities had suspended imported of pork from a German processor Toennies after an outbreak was reported at the plant. Tyson Inc said it was working with US authorities to ensure its food is produced in full compliance with government safety standards. China's wet markets have come back into the spotlight after the outbreak of the virus in Beijing's Xinfadi market two weeks ago. The virus which is believed to have first emerged from a market in Wuhan has put Chinese authorities on alert. Authorities in Beijing are now targeting food deliveries services in the capital focusing on riders to be tested as officials said all couriers in the city would be tested by next week. The officials had earlier highlighted risk of the virus spreading through food packets in Beijing. China's capital reported 22 new cases of the virus on Friday as the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 200 in less than two weeks after the virus was first discovered at the Xinfadi market where salmon chopping boards were found to have traces of COVID-19. Amid the crisis, China said it had identified a European strain of coronavirus in the Beijing outbreak, however, the World Health Organization(WHO) said more tests were needed to prove the results. China on Monday had submitted the genome sequencing data of the Beijing outbreak with the WHO and the Global Influenza Data Initiative (GISAID).

China suspends poultry products from US firm after COVID-19 outbreak

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), China has submitted the genome sequencing data from Beijing's Xinfadi market infection cluster to the World Health Organization(WHO).

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/inside-xinfadi-chinas-largest-market-market-at-centre-of-beijings-2nd-covid-19-wave-306460/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The latest outbreak in China's sprawling Xinfadi wholesale market was detected in the salmon chopping boards amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus cases in China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijings-second-coronavirus-wave-puts-wet-markets-back-in-focus-306902">Also Read:&nbsp;Beijing's second coronavirus wave puts wet markets back in focus</a>

The virus which is believed to have first emerged from a market in Wuhan last year has once again put the spotlight on Chinese markets. Beijing reported 21 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 158 in the past week ever since the virus was first detected at the Xinfadi market.

There were also reports of virus cases in Tianjin and Hebei which surrounds Beijing as authorities moved quickly to order residents not to leave the city and closed schools and shut airways in order to contain the virus.

The Xinfadi market reportedly supplies over 70 per cent of the city's fresh produce and attracts several hundred people everyday.

Last week, Chinese authorities moved to quickly to close not just the Xinfadi meat market but also the Jingshen seafood market amid rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Several police officers were deployed even as people turned up in large numbers to get tested as authorities called for mass testing, similar to Wuhan where millions were tested after new cases were discovered.

Chinese authorities had also closed down indoor sports and entertainment venues in the capital city as the WHO raised concerns.

Authorities also locked down 21 housing estates near Xinfadi which were reportedly linked to the Xinfadi outbreak. 
&nbsp;

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), China has submitted the genome sequencing data from Beijing's Xinfadi market infection cluster to the World Health Organization(WHO).

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), China has submitted the genome sequencing data from Beijing's Xinfadi market infection cluster to the World Health Organization(WHO). Watch: The latest outbreak in China's sprawling Xinfadi wholesale market was detected in the salmon chopping boards amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus cases in China. Also Read: Beijing's second coronavirus wave puts wet markets back in focus The virus which is believed to have first emerged from a market in Wuhan last year has once again put the spotlight on Chinese markets. Beijing reported 21 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 158 in the past week ever since the virus was first detected at the Xinfadi market. There were also reports of virus cases in Tianjin and Hebei which surrounds Beijing as authorities moved quickly to order residents not to leave the city and closed schools and shut airways in order to contain the virus. The Xinfadi market reportedly supplies over 70 per cent of the city's fresh produce and attracts several hundred people everyday. Last week, Chinese authorities moved to quickly to close not just the Xinfadi meat market but also the Jingshen seafood market amid rising number of COVID-19 cases. Several police officers were deployed even as people turned up in large numbers to get tested as authorities called for mass testing, similar to Wuhan where millions were tested after new cases were discovered. Chinese authorities had also closed down indoor sports and entertainment venues in the capital city as the WHO raised concerns. Authorities also locked down 21 housing estates near Xinfadi which were reportedly linked to the Xinfadi outbreak.

China submits COVID-19 genome sequencing data of Xinfadi market outbreak to WHO

Beijing reported 21 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the last seven days to 158 as authorities grappled to contain the virus in the Chinese capital.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-russia-present-the-most-immediate-serious-threats-to-us-space-operations-pentagon-306809">Also Read:&nbsp;Beijing's second coronavirus wave puts wet markets back in focus</a>

Beijing's neigbouring city Tianjin reported one case with Hebei province near the capital also reported cases. The outbreak which began in China's Xinfadi wholesale market has put authorities on alert amid fears of a second wave hitting China.

Residents have been ordered not to leave the city and schools have been shut as city officials have undertaken major operations to clampdown and halt the spread of the virus with testing&nbsp;being ramped up. City officials said 400,000 samples a day were being tested.

Travel restrictions have been imposed on residents in&nbsp;the capital even as top epidemiologist Wu Zunyou asserted that the pandemic has been "brought under control", however, he cautioned that there still could still be people affected with the virus.

The virus cases were first detected on salmon chopping boards at Xinfadi market which was quickly closed by authorities. The discovery of the virus in the market raised health concerns in China's market after the virus was first believed to have spread from a market in Wuhan last year.

China had declared its first COVID-19 case on December 31, 2019.

Beijing authorities quickly cancelled flights as the cases spread. Residents have waited in long ques in order to get themselves tested with people needing a negative result on a nucleic acid test in order to travel.

Authorities have also made it mandatory tests&nbsp;to be carried out on those directly linked to the Xinfadi market. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Beijing reported 21 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the last seven days to 158 as authorities grappled to contain the virus in the Chinese capital.

Beijing reported 21 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the last seven days to 158 as authorities grappled to contain the virus in the Chinese capital. Also Read: Beijing's second coronavirus wave puts wet markets back in focus Beijing's neigbouring city Tianjin reported one case with Hebei province near the capital also reported cases. The outbreak which began in China's Xinfadi wholesale market has put authorities on alert amid fears of a second wave hitting China. Residents have been ordered not to leave the city and schools have been shut as city officials have undertaken major operations to clampdown and halt the spread of the virus with testing being ramped up. City officials said 400,000 samples a day were being tested. Travel restrictions have been imposed on residents in the capital even as top epidemiologist Wu Zunyou asserted that the pandemic has been "brought under control", however, he cautioned that there still could still be people affected with the virus. The virus cases were first detected on salmon chopping boards at Xinfadi market which was quickly closed by authorities. The discovery of the virus in the market raised health concerns in China's market after the virus was first believed to have spread from a market in Wuhan last year. China had declared its first COVID-19 case on December 31, 2019. Beijing authorities quickly cancelled flights as the cases spread. Residents have waited in long ques in order to get themselves tested with people needing a negative result on a nucleic acid test in order to travel. Authorities have also made it mandatory tests to be carried out on those directly linked to the Xinfadi market.

Authorities on alert as 21 new COVID-19 cases detected in Beijing

China has found the trading sections for meat and seafood in Beijing's wholesale food market to be severely contaminated with the novel coronavirus and suspects the area's low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors.

A preliminary report comes as Beijing tackles a resurgence of COVID-19 cases over the past week linked to the massive Xinfadi food centre, which houses warehouses and trading halls in an area the size of nearly 160 soccer pitches.

The latest outbreak infected more than 100 people and raised fears of wider contagion in China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijings-coronavirus-outbreak-under-control-chinese-expert-says-306810">Also read | Beijing's coronavirus outbreak under control, Chinese expert says</a>

Among the patients who work at the Xinfadi market, most serve at seafood and aquatic product stalls, followed by the beef and mutton section.

Low temperatures favourable to viral survival as well as high humidity might be possible explanations for why seafood markets could be a source of outbreaks based on a preliminary assessment, an expert said, cautioning that further investigation was necessary.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijings-new-covid-19-cluster-xinfadi-biggest-wholesale-market-in-asia-306625">Also read | Beijing's new COVID-19 cluster: Xinfadi, biggest wholesale market in Asia</a>

China has halted imports from European salmon suppliers this week amid fears they may be linked to the recent outbreak in Beijing.

Health officials have also warned against eating raw salmon after the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon, although the origin of the outbreak is not known.

Low standards of hygiene in wholesale food markets and vulnerabilities in its food supply chain need to be urgently addressed, a leading body of the ruling Communist Party said this week.

(with inputs from Reuters)

China has found the trading sections for meat and seafood in Beijing's wholesale food market to be severely contaminated with the novel coronavirus and suspects the area's low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors.

China has found the trading sections for meat and seafood in Beijing's wholesale food market to be severely contaminated with the novel coronavirus and suspects the area's low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors. A preliminary report comes as Beijing tackles a resurgence of COVID-19 cases over the past week linked to the massive Xinfadi food centre, which houses warehouses and trading halls in an area the size of nearly 160 soccer pitches. The latest outbreak infected more than 100 people and raised fears of wider contagion in China. Also read | Beijing's coronavirus outbreak under control, Chinese expert says Among the patients who work at the Xinfadi market, most serve at seafood and aquatic product stalls, followed by the beef and mutton section. Low temperatures favourable to viral survival as well as high humidity might be possible explanations for why seafood markets could be a source of outbreaks based on a preliminary assessment, an expert said, cautioning that further investigation was necessary. Also read | Beijing's new COVID-19 cluster: Xinfadi, biggest wholesale market in Asia China has halted imports from European salmon suppliers this week amid fears they may be linked to the recent outbreak in Beijing. Health officials have also warned against eating raw salmon after the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon, although the origin of the outbreak is not known. Low standards of hygiene in wholesale food markets and vulnerabilities in its food supply chain need to be urgently addressed, a leading body of the ruling Communist Party said this week. (with inputs from Reuters)

China finds heavy coronavirus traces in seafood, meat sections of Beijing food market

China has halted imports from European salmon suppliers amid fears they may be linked to a&nbsp;coronavirus&nbsp;outbreak at a&nbsp;Beijing market, although experts say the fish itself is unlikely to carry the disease.

State-run newspapers reported that the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon at Beijing’s Xinfadi market, at the centre of a cluster of infections that has sparked fears of a second wave of the pandemic in China.

The reports prompted major supermarkets in Beijing to remove salmon from their shelves.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijing-shuts-schools-again-after-coronavirus-flares-in-city-306388" hreflang="en">Beijing shuts schools again after coronavirus flares in city</a>

“We can’t send any salmon to China now, the market is closed,” Regin Jacobsen, chief executive of Oslo-based salmon supplier Bakkafrost, told Reuters.

“We have stopped all sales to China and are waiting for the situation to be clarified,” said Stein Martinsen, head of sales and marketing at Norway Royal Salmon.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijing-airports-cancel-1255-flights-over-coronavirus-fears-report-306395" hreflang="en">Beijing airports cancel 1,255 flights over coronavirus fears: Report</a>

<iframe data-google-container-id="5" data-load-complete="true" frameborder="0" height="1" id="google_ads_iframe_/8134/scmp/web/china_society/article/outstream1_0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/8134/scmp/web/china_society/article/outstream1_0" scrolling="no" srcdoc="" title="3rd party ad content" width="1"></iframe>Genetic traces of the virus from the Beijing market outbreak suggested it could have come from Europe.

Keith Neal, an emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at Britain’s University of Nottingham, said any link to salmon was probably the result of cross-contamination.

“Markets can be crowded places, so, like in Wuhan, [they] help fuel the spread,” he said. The central Chinese city of Wuhan was where the virus was first reported in late December.

Marion Koopmans, head of the viroscience department at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, said that with limited data it was difficult to know whether the specific genetic sequence detected in cases from the Beijing market could indeed be linked to Europe.

“There’s mention of a European sequence, but it’s hard to say that with certainty unless there’s a lot of other data on virus diversity in China,” Koopmans said.

“It’s hard for me to understand what they mean by a European strain. What we have seen with the global spread of the virus is that it is diversifying because it gets introduced to different areas and continues to circulate, so you see a signature that looks like this is now a ‘European virus’, but that same signature may also be circulating in Asia – we don’t know.”

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Mike Ryan, head of the World Health Organisation’s emergency programme, said he “fully expects” China to publish the genetic sequencing of the virus when it is ready.

“The finding that this may represent a strain more common in transmission in Europe is important and it may reflect human-to-human transmission more than any other hypotheses,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Ryan also said the claim that the new infections in Beijing may have been caused by importing or packaging of salmon was just a “hypothesis”.

The possible link to salmon has already caused panic among consumers and prompted some restaurants to remove it from their menu.

The city’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had on Monday taken samples of salmon imported from countries including Norway, Chile, Ireland, Iceland and Denmark for testing. All 16 samples tested negative for the coronavirus.

China has halted imports from European salmon suppliers amid fears they may be linked to a coronavirus outbreak at a Beijing market, although experts say the fish itself is unlikely to carry the disease.

China has halted imports from European salmon suppliers amid fears they may be linked to a coronavirus outbreak at a Beijing market, although experts say the fish itself is unlikely to carry the disease. State-run newspapers reported that the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon at Beijing’s Xinfadi market, at the centre of a cluster of infections that has sparked fears of a second wave of the pandemic in China. The reports prompted major supermarkets in Beijing to remove salmon from their shelves. Also read: Beijing shuts schools again after coronavirus flares in city “We can’t send any salmon to China now, the market is closed,” Regin Jacobsen, chief executive of Oslo-based salmon supplier Bakkafrost, told Reuters. “We have stopped all sales to China and are waiting for the situation to be clarified,” said Stein Martinsen, head of sales and marketing at Norway Royal Salmon. Also read: Beijing airports cancel 1,255 flights over coronavirus fears: Report Genetic traces of the virus from the Beijing market outbreak suggested it could have come from Europe. Keith Neal, an emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at Britain’s University of Nottingham, said any link to salmon was probably the result of cross-contamination. “Markets can be crowded places, so, like in Wuhan, [they] help fuel the spread,” he said. The central Chinese city of Wuhan was where the virus was first reported in late December. Marion Koopmans, head of the viroscience department at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, said that with limited data it was difficult to know whether the specific genetic sequence detected in cases from the Beijing market could indeed be linked to Europe. “There’s mention of a European sequence, but it’s hard to say that with certainty unless there’s a lot of other data on virus diversity in China,” Koopmans said. “It’s hard for me to understand what they mean by a European strain. What we have seen with the global spread of the virus is that it is diversifying because it gets introduced to different areas and continues to circulate, so you see a signature that looks like this is now a ‘European virus’, but that same signature may also be circulating in Asia – we don’t know.” Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Mike Ryan, head of the World Health Organisation’s emergency programme, said he “fully expects” China to publish the genetic sequencing of the virus when it is ready. “The finding that this may represent a strain more common in transmission in Europe is important and it may reflect human-to-human transmission more than any other hypotheses,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying. Ryan also said the claim that the new infections in Beijing may have been caused by importing or packaging of salmon was just a “hypothesis”. The possible link to salmon has already caused panic among consumers and prompted some restaurants to remove it from their menu. The city’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had on Monday taken samples of salmon imported from countries including Norway, Chile, Ireland, Iceland and Denmark for testing. All 16 samples tested negative for the coronavirus.

Now, China halts salmon imports over possible link to Beijing outbreak

Beijing shut all its schools again on Wednesday as the city reported 31 new coronavirus cases, with authorities in the Chinese capital rushing to curb an outbreak linked to a wholesale food market.

The new cases have raised fears of a second wave of infections as China had largely brought its domestic outbreak under control.

City authorities on Tuesday had also announced a travel ban for residents of "medium- or high-risk" areas of the city, while requiring other residents to take nucleic acid tests in order to leave the capital.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijings-xinfadi-market-in-focus-after-virus-reportedly-detected-on-salmon-chopping-boards-306196">Beijing's Xinfadi market in focus after virus reportedly detected on salmon chopping boards</a>

Meanwhile, all schools, which had mostly reopened, were ordered to close again and return to online classes.

"The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe," Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian warned at a press conference Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of people in the city linked to the virus cluster -- believed to have started in the capital's sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market -- are being tested for the virus, with almost 30 residential compounds in the city now under lockdown.

Beijing has now reported 137 infections over the last six days, with six new asymptomatic cases and three suspected cases on Wednesday, according to the city's health commission.

An additional two domestic cases, one in neighbouring Hebei province and another in Zhejiang, were reported by national authorities on Wednesday, while there were 11 imported cases.

Beijing shut all its schools again on Wednesday as the city reported 31 new coronavirus cases, with authorities in the Chinese capital rushing to curb an outbreak linked to a wholesale food market.

Beijing shut all its schools again on Wednesday as the city reported 31 new coronavirus cases, with authorities in the Chinese capital rushing to curb an outbreak linked to a wholesale food market. The new cases have raised fears of a second wave of infections as China had largely brought its domestic outbreak under control. City authorities on Tuesday had also announced a travel ban for residents of "medium- or high-risk" areas of the city, while requiring other residents to take nucleic acid tests in order to leave the capital. Also read| Beijing's Xinfadi market in focus after virus reportedly detected on salmon chopping boards Meanwhile, all schools, which had mostly reopened, were ordered to close again and return to online classes. "The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe," Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian warned at a press conference Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people in the city linked to the virus cluster -- believed to have started in the capital's sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market -- are being tested for the virus, with almost 30 residential compounds in the city now under lockdown. Beijing has now reported 137 infections over the last six days, with six new asymptomatic cases and three suspected cases on Wednesday, according to the city's health commission. An additional two domestic cases, one in neighbouring Hebei province and another in Zhejiang, were reported by national authorities on Wednesday, while there were 11 imported cases.

Beijing shuts schools again after coronavirus flares in city

The cases of coronavirus were reported in China's capital Beijing in the past five days, health authorities said the virus was detected on "chopping boards" used to handle imported salmon at Xinfadi market. However, China's CDC has now confirmed that their is no evidence for this theory.

Inside Xinfadi | China's largest market | Market at centre of Beijing's 2nd COVID-19 wave

After 106 cases of coronavirus was reported in China's capital Beijing in the past five days, health authorities said the virus was detected on "chopping boards" used to handle imported salmon at Xinfadi market

Beijing's wholesale Xinfadi market at the centre of new COVID-19 cluster

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