TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Beijing raised its emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic to the second-highest level on Tuesday (June 16) as it braces for a possible second wave of infections.

During a press conference Tuesday night, the Beijing municipal government said a level 2 upgrade would mean that residents who wish to leave the city are required to present negative coronavirus test results within seven days of their planned departure. It added that regions classified as high-risk would be completely closed off and that individuals who have visited Xinfadi Market (新發地), where the new infection cluster is believed to have originated, would be prohibited from leaving the city.

Meanwhile, all schools have been ordered to shut down starting Wednesday (June 17), just two weeks after some had resumed classes. City officials said there was no need to close local businesses but that encouraged working remotely and flexible hours, reported UDN.

The announcement came after Beijing authorities introduced a "war mechanism," conducting mass testing around the city as a response to the new cluster that seemingly emerged around the agricultural market. A total of new 137 cases have been reported since Saturday (June 13).

According to Liberty Times, 313 of the 786 flights scheduled to arrive at and depart from Beijing Capital International Airport were also canceled on Tuesday, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the airport's total flights. Aviation experts warned that the city’s worsening pandemic situation would only affect more flights in the coming weeks.

Majority of flights to and from Beijing canceled Tuesday night. (Weibo photo)