Photo: Screenshot of Weibo video

Wuhan authorities on Wednesday denied a rumor that armed police called in after COVID-19 patients were spotted at a fresh produce market.

Local police warned the public to stay alert as novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases have sparked new rumors. 

A video depicting law enforcement officers dressed in black and standing outside a market went viral on Tuesday. A comment attached on the video said, "I have received a message from my friend after getting up, who said there is something wrong with the Weibin fresh market. The market was sealed off and some people in the market were taken away."

Another post said 13 new cases were reported at a nearby residential community and over 300 people had been quarantined. China's top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan went to the site and found the community guarded by armed police. 

The video comes after six new confirmed cases were found in a residential community in Wuhan, which drew widespread attention online. 

Officials in Jiang'an district in Wuhan announced on Weibo that the posts and video were fake. 

Local police have detained a man surnamed Chen for allegedly spreading the rumors. 

According to the district government, the video actually shows city management workers and market regulators on duty conducting epidemic prevention and control work. They urged merchants to measure body temperature and scan health codes of people going in and out. Some merchants were ordered to shut down for rectification for failing to implement the measures.

No new COVID-19 cases were discovered in Hubei on Wednesday, and only six cases remain in the province, with all of them in Wuhan. One patient is in critical condition, while one is in dangerous condition.