BEIJING -- Beijing has tightened COVID-19 control measures as newly confirmed cases by local transmission have been reported in the past few days in the capital.

The city reported 36 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday, all having direct or indirect links to the Xinfadi market, a major wholesale food and vegetable market in the city.

Given the new cases, Beijing has suspended Xinfadi market since Saturday and strengthened control measures to resolutely contain the spread of the epidemic.

It followed on Sunday that People working at, and living in the vicinity of, the Xinfadi market in Beijing will all undergo nucleic acid test.

New cases

Thirty-six confirmed cases were reported on Saturday, according to official data released on early Sunday.

Previously, two cases, both employees of the China Meat Food Research Center in Fengtai District, were reported earlier Friday, and another four were reported between 4 pm and midnight Friday, according to a press conference held Saturday morning. The latest four new cases either purchased goods or worked at the Xinfadi market.

All the new cases have been transferred to designated hospitals in the capital city for treatment.

The newly reported cases came after Beijing lowered its emergency response to COVID-19 from the second level posture to the third level on June 6.

Professor Cheng Feng with the Research Center for Public Health at Tsinghua University said people should keep high alert against the occurrence of sporadic cases, but there is no need to panic.