Further Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) detections in California have reportedly prompted another quarantine zone to be established on the outskirts of a major city close to major agricultural production regions.

Four Medflies have now been found in Fairfield, Solano County, to the northeast of San Francisco.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, County Agriculture Commissioner Jim Allan said the number of detections was two more than necessary to trigger a quarantine, website The Reporter said.

The specifics of the restrictions are reportedly set to be released in the next couple of days. 

The Solano County Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are working together to create an extensive survey and treatment program.

The development comes two weeks after federal and state authorities set up a quarantine zone for Medfly in Sun Valley, Los Angeles County, following a dozen detections made in the space of a month.

Allan said the first fruit fly was found earlier this month near the Tolenas area, an unincorporated part of Fairfield, and on Monday three more were found.

“It’s so important to keep it in Solano County and knock it out quickly,” David Pegos, special assistant in the Plant Health division of the CDFA, was quoted as saying.

Allan said that when the first fruit fly was found this month, some 1,100 traps were placed within an 81-square-mile area. All four were found within a “narrowly-focused area” and Medflies were found in a suburban area.

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