Beijing's airports cancelled two-thirds of all flights on
Wednesday and schools in the Chinese capital were closed again as authorities
rushed to contain a new coronavirus outbreak and warned infections may rise.
The city reported 31 new cases while officials urged
residents not to leave Beijing, with fears growing about a second wave of
infections in China, which had largely brought the contagion under control
since its emergence in Wuhan late last year.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been tested so far
following the fresh outbreak, which is believed to have started in the
sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market.
Almost 30 residential compounds in the city are now under
lockdown.
"Because the Xinfadi market is the largest marketplace
selling daily necessities, with thousands of migrant workers and a large number
of visitors, it is hard to control the spread," said Pang Xinghuo, deputy
director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We may see a rise in confirmed cases in the coming
days," Pang told a regular press briefing.
Beijing has reported 137 infections over the past six days
and 95 percent of them were "mild cases", Pang said.
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