BEIJING — China has put Beijing on alert as a rash of 59 domestic COVID-19 cases was reported in the city as of Monday, according to Beijing Municipal Health Commission.

Reuters reports that the city has put the neighborhood of Huaxiang on high alert and raised the epidemiological risk level for 10 other neighborhoods from low to medium.

The health commission seems to be focusing its efforts on the Xinfadi wholesale food market. Contact tracing has revealed that all cases were linked to the important food market situated in Beijing's Huaxiang neighborhood.

An unnamed chain restaurant that sells traditional Beijing noodles was closed down after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus.

Beijing has put all companies with employees who have visited the market on quarantine.

Citing the state-run Health Times, officials told Reuters that genetic sequencing suggests the virus may have come from Europe to China.

They were cited as saying the virus may have spread via contaminated meat, seafood or feces from the infected.