Tongzhou district's Baliqiao Market Source:IC Photo

Beijing shut down fruit stalls of two food markets after coronavirus was detected in environment related to a batch of bananas. 

The two food markets are respectively located in Tongzhou district's Baliqiao Market and Shunyi district's Shimen Market. No people who came in contact with the coronavirus-positive bananas and contaminated environment have tested positive so far, according to officials at Thursday's press conference.

Packages and warehouse environment of a batch of bananas from the wholesale area at Baliqiao Market firstly tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dong Minghui, deputy head of the Tongzhou district government said at Thursday's press conference. No details about where the banana was from were released.

Among 8,761 environment samples collected at the Baliqiao Market, 57 of them tested positive. The positive samples were from three warehouses, one grocery store within the market and transport trucks. Meanwhile, Dong said that all products that were placed at the same warehouses were sealed and a thorough disinfection on an area of 80,000 square meters at the market was carried out.

A total of 23 close contacts and 15 high-risk people from the Baliqiao Market were quarantined, according to Dong.  

The banana wholesale area of Baliqiao Market was labeled as a temporary controlled area for the epidemic. 

Media reports said except for the controlled area, other sections of the Baliqiao Market are operating normally. 

The same batch of bananas was once stored at Shunyi district's Shimen Market, where COVID-19 was also detected from 40 environmental samples, Feng Jiangquan from the Shunyi district government said. 

The Shimen Market suspended its fruit trading area and other trading areas are operating normally, Feng said. 

Nucleic acid test results of all 5,153 people who work at the Shimen Market came back negative on Wednesday. Results of a second round of testing are yet to be released.

A total of 35 were classified as close contacts and 639 people working at the fruit trading section related to the epidemic in Shimen Market were quarantined. 

Liu Xiaofeng from the Beijing Disease Prevention and Control Center on Thursday warned residents to raise their guard on COVID-19 and suggested residents to purchase fruits from approved markets and check the information of fruits by scanning tracing QR code. 

Global Times