Beijing testing 90,000 people, locks down residential areas as coronavirus cases spike
Beijing: China on Monday began coronavirus tests for 90,000 people and locked down several residential areas near a wholesale market in Beijing where a new cluster of COVID-19 broke out, even as the country reported 67 new infections including 42 in the capital.
In a bid to stem the spread of the contagion, the authorities in Beijing started conducting the nucleic acid tests on 90,000 people. About two lakh people were reported to have visited the Xinfadi wholesale market since May 30. Also, several residential areas around the market, which supply 90 percent of vegetables and meat products, were placed under strict lockdown.
Beijing sacked two officials in Fengtai district - Zhou Yuqing, deputy head of the Fengtai district government, and Wang Hua, Party secretary of Huaxiang Township in Fengtai - for misconduct in the office during epidemic prevention and control.
Zhang Yuelin was also ordered to be removed from the post of general manager of the Xinfadi wholesale market, official media reported.
Also, the official media here revived the debate about the origin of the coronavirus after Yang Peng, a researcher from Beijing CDC, told state-run CCTV that it has been preliminarily determined that the virus found on the samples from the market is related to strains China has seen from imported cases. The genome sequencing showed that the coronavirus came from Europe.
Thousands of overseas Chinese are currently returning with a number of them testing positive for the coronavirus.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which was blamed for supporting China since the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan in December last, however, said the strain of the virus circulating at the Xinfadi market is not new.
Gene sequencing for the first case was reported as belonging to the European strain, which has been circulating in China and other countries, the WHO statement said.
The WHO also said it sought a report from China on the new cluster of cases in Beijing while its officials have not yet visited the area.
"WHO encourages the sharing of this and other sequences on a publicly available website as soon as possible. We await more genetic sequencing to see how close this virus is to others.
"We have asked China for the genetic sequencing and to receive new data on the epidemic as the investigation unfolds; and our counterparts are committed to continuing to provide such data. WHO is following up with Chinese officials for further detail," it said.
As all the new cases in Beijing were linked to the Xinfadi market in south Beijing's Fengtai district, health officials appealed to the people, who had visited the market since May 30, to undergo nucleic acid tests.
The sudden increase in cases has sparked concern that China may be on the cusp of a rebound of COVID-19, belying experts' predictions that a second wave may hit the country during the winter starting from October.
All hospitals in Beijing have been ordered to perform nucleic acid and antibody tests, a CT scan and a routine blood test on patients with a fever, Gao Xiaojun, spokesperson of Beijing's health commission, told the media on Sunday.
So far, the local government has closed six wholesale markets and made alternate arrangements for vegetable supplies to the retail stores.
The Beijing local government earlier said that the health workers detected the virus in 40 samples collected at Xinfadi, including from cutting boards used to prepare imported salmon.
Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the source of the latest outbreak could be either contaminated seafood or meat from the market or a visitor or worker who contracted the virus unknowingly.
As of Sunday, the overall confirmed cases in China reached 83,181, including 177 active cases, with two in severe condition.
Altogether 78,370 people have been discharged after recovery and 4,634 people died of the disease, the authorities said.
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Spain rejects White House claim of military cooperation with US in Iran war
Madrid: Spain has rejected a claim by the White House that Madrid had agreed to cooperate militarily with the United States amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, even as US President Donald Trump warned of trade consequences over Spain’s stance.
Al Jazeera reported that White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Spain had reconsidered its earlier position of not allowing its military bases to be used in the war against Iran.
“With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear, and it’s my understanding, over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military,” Leavitt said.
Clearly denying the assertion, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the claim was incorrect and insisted that Madrid’s position had not changed. “Not a single comma has changed, and I have no idea whatsoever what they might be referring to,” Albares said in an interview with the Hora25 radio programme.
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Trump had earlier criticised Spain’s opposition to the war, describing its stance as “terrible” and threatening economic retaliation. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he said on Tuesday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reaffirmed his government’s opposition to the conflict, recalling past military interventions in the region. “The world, Europe, and Spain have faced this critical moment before. In 2003, a few irresponsible leaders dragged us into an illegal war in the Middle East that brought nothing but insecurity and pain,” Sánchez wrote on social media.
He added that Spain’s position remained firmly against war, violations of international law and “the illusion that we can solve the world’s problems with bombs”.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian praised Spain’s stand, saying it reflected ethical responsibility.
“Spain’s responsible conduct in opposing the Zionist-American coalition’s flagrant human rights violations and military aggression against countries, including Iran, shows that ethics and awakened consciences still exist in the West,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Within Europe, Spain has been among the few countries to openly oppose the attacks on Iran. The European Union has instead called for de-escalation and protection of civilians without directly rejecting the US and Israeli military action.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes and its support for armed groups pose a serious threat to global security, adding that the bloc has imposed sanctions on Tehran while continuing to back diplomatic engagement on the nuclear issue.
