Beijing coronavirus
Chinese police stand outside the entrance to a building holding a beef and lamb market in Beijing that was closed by authorities after it was visited by a person who tested positive for COVID-19, Friday, June 12, 2020. Image Credit: AP

Beijing: A Beijing city official warned Tuesday that the situation in the capital was "extremely severe" as a fresh cluster of coronavirus cases prompted mass testing and lockdowns.

"Currently, the most important and urgent task is to resolutely prevent and control the epidemic," city spokesman Xu Hejian told a press briefing, adding the city must "take the most determined, decisive and strictest measures" to bring the new outbreak under control.