PepsiCo suspends operations in Beijing after workers test positive for coronavirus, Beijing tests millions

Beverage maker PepsiCo on Sunday has suspended its operations in Beijing after confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the company.

The Beijing administrative officials are conducting COVID-19 tests on millions, especially employees of restaurants, food delivery services and market vendors.

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All of PepsiCo's 87 close contacts of a confirmed case in Beijing have been quarantined, and samples taken inside and outside its Beijing plant have come out negative.

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China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday that it had reported 32 new COVID-19 cases in the country.

The city of more than 20 million people reported its first case in the latest wave on June 11. The resurgence has been linked to a wholesale food centre in the southwest of Beijing, according to a Reuters report.

So far, 227 people in the city have been infected in the latest outbreak.

Meanwhile, Mainland China reported six new asymptomatic cases, those who are infected with the coronavirus but show no symptoms, down from seven a day earlier. Beijing accounted for three of the new cases.

China does not count asymptomatic patients as confirmed cases and as part of the official infection tally.

To date, China has 83,378 confirmed cases. The first infections were traced to Huanan seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

No new deaths were reported in mainland China for June 20.

(With inputs from agencies)