BEIJING – Dozens of coronavirus infections emerging from a Beijing wholesale centre has once again put such markets under the spotlight.

The virus first surfaced late last year at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Centre, a market in central China’s Wuhan, where workers were among the earliest cases.

But unlike the Huanan market, where wild animals were sold for meat, the sprawling Beijing complex sells only agricultural products, supplying up to 90 per cent of the city’s vegetables.

Xinfadi, the biggest of such wholesale centres in Beijing, supplies supermarkets, grocery stalls and even small corner stores.

Usually a bustling hive of activity, it is unsurprising the virus resurfaced there because of close interaction and even exposure to imported food items, Dr Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the official Xinhua news agency.

“With tens of thousands of new cases globally, it could be that an infected person overseas contaminated meat or seafood while handling it,” Dr Wu added.

“The virus could have stayed alive longer because of the cool environment, and someone toughing the contaminated produce could have rubbed their noses or eyes after, thus getting infected.”

Since the early stages of infection present mild symptoms, it is possible the person continued going to work, thus spreading the virus to others, Dr Wu added.

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