Coronavirus: Europe blamed for China breakout

Chinese health experts believe a new coronavirus outbreak in Beijing may have originated in Europe.

A Chinese epidemic control worker tests for COVID-19 on a man who has had contact with the Xinfadi market in Beijing. Picture: Getty Images

Beijing has closed schools, locked down more residential districts and begun stopping traffic leaving the capital as health experts ­believe a new coronavirus outbreak may have originated in Europe.

Officials warned that the city was facing an “extremely severe” outbreak, as coaches and taxis were barred from leaving, new infections rose to 137, and checkpoints were set up around nine residential areas, bringing to 20 the number of districts facing lockdown.

More than 1250 flights to and from the capital’s two major airports were cancelled, accounting for 60 per cent of all commercial flights.

Zeng Guang, a senior expert with China’s national health commission, said the city would “not turn into a second Wuhan”, in reference to the outbreak in ­December that spread to other Chinese cities.

State media quoted health ­experts who said the strain of the virus in Beijing had originated from abroad.

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said it was most similar to those seen in Europe, the US and Russia.

“It clearly indicates the virus strain is different from what it was two months ago,” he told state broadcaster CGTN.

“The virus strain is the major epidemic strain in European countries, so it is from outside China brought to Beijing.

“Our lab results show the strain originated in Europe, but the virus could have come to China from a European country, an American country, or Russia.”

Yang Zhanqiu, from the Wuhan University, said the rapid rise in cases showed the virus to be extremely contagious, probably more so than the strain found in Wuhan. “Compared to Wuhan, Beijing found more than 70 cases within two days, which means the strain is more likely to cause illness and is more contagious,” he told the Global Times.

The central government has ordered an investigation into the source of the infections, all of which are linked to a food market in Xinfadi, in the south of Beijing, where authorities said they had found the virus on cutting boards used to prepare imported salmon. Vendors have since pulled the fish from shelves, and Beijing has halted some salmon imports from ­Europe. Several Norwegian salmon farms confirmed they could no longer ship to China, which buys 5 per cent of the world’s salmon.

World Health Organisation emergencies director Mike Ryan said the idea that the new outbreak was caused by imported salmon was not the “primary hypothesis”.

“A cluster like this is a concern and it needs to be investigated and controlled — and that is exactly what the Chinese authorities are doing,” he said.

Shi Guoqing, from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said salmon was found to be contaminated at the market but no virus was found on salmon products before they went into the market. “There’s no evidence that salmon can be the host of the corona­virus or the intermediary,” Mr Shi said.

More than 8000 workers from the Xinfadi market have been tested and put in quarantine. Other Beijing markets and more than 30,000 restaurants are being disinfected.

The Times, AP