PepsiCo suspends production at Beijing factory after recording COVID-19 case

"After we detected one case of the coronavirus infection associated with the Xinfadi market at our factory in Daxing district, we immediately launched an emergency response mechanism, suspended production, disinfected the premises, isolated employees, and took measures for the separate storage of goods," the official said at a press conference.

The director added that the COVID-19 case was registered on Monday, and over the week 480 employees were quarantined despite negative tests for the coronavirus.

The executive also said that the company had conducted an investigation and samples had already been taken from the environment. The company's products are safe, she added.

Meanwhile, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that eight COVID-19 cases were detected at a food factory in Daxing district, without specifying the name of the company.

A new cluster of coronavirus cases was detected in Beijing earlier this month. On June 13, Beijing authorities announced they had shut down the city’s major wholesale food market, Xinfadi, after several dozen people linked to the site tested positive for the coronavirus. Restrictive measures have been re-imposed in the Chinese capital.