China's capital Beijing cancels 40% flights as new COVID-19 cluster emerges

As China’s capital Beijing suffers a second wave of Coronavirus with 106 fresh cases reported as of Tuesday, hundreds of flights to and from the city are likely to be canceled on Wednesday after the country raised its emergency response to contain the spread.

Under the newly initiated measures, residents who want to leave Beijing need to show a negative nucleic acid test certificate within seven days of departure. Among the 786 flights scheduled from and to Beijing Capital International Airport, 313 have been canceled, accounting for 40 percent of the total flights.

The development came after China reported 44 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, including 31 cases in Beijing, despite re-imposed restrictions after a new COVID-19 cluster was discovered at the major food market in the capital.

READ | Asia Today: Beijing Adds More Measures To Curb New Outbreak

COVID-19 cluster in the Beijing market

The new cluster of COVID-19 cases was detected in Beijing last week after more than 40 people linked to the Xinfadi wholesale food market tested positive for the virus. The Xinfadi market, situated in the southwest district of Fengtai, has been shut down temporarily after the first case was reported on June 12. This was the first time in nearly two months when a locally transmitted infection was recorded in the country.

Beijing on Tuesday became a "no-go-zone" as many provincial cities raised alerts on travel to the Chinese capital which scaled up its emergency response and mass testing following a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases. The city of 20 million people. has upgraded its emergency response COVID-19 from level III to II starting Tuesday, a local official announced.

READ | China: Beijing's Virus Outbreak Could Peak In 48 Hours

The authorities have said that Beijing is in "wartime emergency mode", thus re-imposing strict containment measures in local residential communities. Classes are moved online for students, and class resumption of college students will be suspended, the Beijing municipal government, said. 

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China now stands at 83,265, and the death toll is 4,634. The tally of recovered individuals in the country reached 78,379 on Tuesday.

READ | Beijing Becomes 'no-go-zone' As COVID-19 Cases Jump To 106

READ | 2nd Beijing Market Closed, Dozens Queue For COVID-19 Tests

(With inputs from ANI)