Chinese Global Times: "Man in his 50s Infects Neighbor in Just 15 Seconds at Market"

Epidemiological Investigation of New Coronavirus Case in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province Suggests Possible Market Transmission
Some Chinese Media May Deliberately Emphasize to Highlight the Need for Mask Wearing

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A suspected case has emerged where a person was infected with the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) despite being next to an infected individual without wearing a mask for about 15 seconds.

According to China’s Global Times on the 6th, a 56-year-old man in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China, was infected with the novel coronavirus. During the Chinese government’s epidemiological investigation, it was confirmed that this man had been near a confirmed coronavirus patient for about 15 seconds while shopping.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The reason health authorities estimate infection occurred within 15 seconds is due to the epidemiological investigation. The investigation revealed that this man had not visited areas with many coronavirus patients and had only engaged in daily activities such as shopping. Upon tracing his movements, it was found that on the 23rd of last month, he stayed near a 61-year-old female confirmed patient at a market for about 15 seconds. At that time, the woman was reportedly unaware that she was infected with the novel coronavirus and had gone out shopping. Both individuals were not wearing masks during this encounter.

However, it is uncertain whether this man was infected by this woman. The Global Times introduced this case to emphasize the risk of coronavirus infection when not wearing a mask. In fact, the article was titled, "A man who went shopping without wearing a mask contracted the novel coronavirus. The time taken was 15 seconds."

Zhejiang Province currently has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases after Hubei Province, where the outbreak originated in Wuhan. The Chinese government has reported 895 confirmed cases in this region.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.