BEIJING - Chinese authorities have locked down a third neighborhood in Beijing as they rush to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 100 people in a country that appeared to have largely contained the virus.
The resurgence in China highlights expert calls for vigilance as many nations move forward with easing virus restrictions to revive their economies.
The initial spread happened among market workers, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state broadcaster CCTV. He said that authorities detected the outbreak early enough to be confident they can contain it.
“For those who were infected, they will start showing symptoms either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," he said. "So, if there’s no sharp increase of newly reported cases tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the outbreak this time will basically stay at the current scale.”
Authorities locked down seven residential compounds in Beijing's Xicheng district, where the first case was confirmed on Thursday. They also barring residents of areas considered high-risk from leaving Beijing and banned taxis and car-hailing services from taking people out of the city.
