Chinese capital Beijing city has recorded 158 confirmed cases within the week, prompting China to tighten its quarantine measures out of fear of a second coronavirus epidemic.
They have also identified a man who bought fish at a massive seafood market, the size of 157 football fields, as 'patient zero' of a new coronavirus outbreak in Beijing.
The 52-year-old named Tang said he had visited the market because his children wanted to eat fish. He is the first person to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in the new waves of cases in the Chinese city capital.
China's 'Patient Zero' in the New Coronavirus Outbreak
Beijing TV Station has released video footage showing Mr. Tang being treated at a local hospital. He was interviewed by the news outlet regarding his trip to Xinfadi, a sprawling seafood wholesale market on June 3.
The Chinese media has nicknamed him as 'the grandpa of Xicheng' named after the district where he lives. It is also where the headquarters of China's central government and also multiple popular tourist attractions.
While lying on a hospital bed, he narrated that he only went to buy fish since his children wanted to have fish. "I thought I'd go buy some, and then I got hit [by the coronavirus]," he added.
After suffering several symptoms, Mr. Tang went to a local hospital last Wednesday. On the same day, he was diagnosed with coronavirus.
He was Beijing's first native COVID-19 infection after two months. Mr. Tang said that he has not gone to any establishments or left the city for the past two weeks and did not have close contact with anyone traveling in Beijing.
According to the Chinese media, Mr. Tang told the authority of all the places he had visited in the last two weeks, including the Xinfadi food market
Furthermore, he also provided a list of 38 people that he had close contact during that period. Then on Friday, Mr. Tang's cases were followed by two more confirmed cases prompting the government to activate an emergency response.
Like Mr. Tang, the two cases are believed to have been to the Xinfadi market.
Beijing Closes Its Borders
Officials believe that the virus came from Europe. As to how they are still uncertain of it.
Residents in Beijing were already informed not to travel outside the Chinese capital after the outbreak spread in the city. Presently, thousands of flights have been canceled at Beijing's airport, and the city's emergency response level has been raised in the second-highest level.
Close contacts of the positive cases were being traced to locate all possible cases immediately, Hu Hejian said on Thursday.
Additionally, the authorities are tracing those people who have been in the market since May 30, and their contacts. Once they are located, they will be quarantined for 14 days and at least tested twice.
Beijing has now closed its borders to all confirmed and suspected cases, and those patients with fever and close contacts from overseas and other provinces. They also said that even foreign diplomats arriving from abroad must undergo the two-week quarantine period at home.
Indoor public venues, such as clubhouses and party rooms in apartment complexes, will remain closed as well as offices, restaurants, and hotels in 'high risk' areas will be shut down.
