Coronavirus found on frozen food, packaging from South America
- Pathogen detected on chicken wings imported from Brazil at market in Shenzhen, but no human infections reported
- Virus also found in Xian on packaging for frozen shrimp from Ecuador
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In Xian, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi province, a sample of packaging on frozen shrimp from Ecuador tested positive for the pathogen on Wednesday night, provincial authorities said on Thursday.
Further tests were being carried on other products and people who had been in contact with them, they said.
Meanwhile, authorities in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said they had found the coronavirus on the surface of frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil.
Other food products were being tested for the virus, they said.
The sample was found positive for the virus during routine sample tests in Longgang district on Tuesday, and confirmed during a re-examination by the city and the Guangdong Centre for Disease Control and Prevention the next day, an official notice from the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission said on Thursday morning.
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All personnel who might have come in contact with the product were given nucleic tests, close contacts of the sample were being monitored and all stored products had been tested and all were found to be negative to the virus, the notice said.
In addition, all sold products are being tracked, and packaging and storage areas of similar products are being sanitised.
“Shenzhen will keep tracking and testing all relevant frozen foods. The government also would like to remind residents to be cautious when purchasing imported frozen meat and seafood, as well as apply personal protection,” the commission said.
Last month, the virus was also detected on the packaging and in a container of imported frozen shrimps, but the food safety chief said the discovery did not mean the virus could be transmitted via food packaging.
The National Health Commission also issued guidelines on Wednesday stressing the need for personal protection at seafood stalls across the country. Requirements include establishing hygiene and health monitoring in wet markets, sanitising standards in public areas and improving personal hygiene and emergency procedures.
Virologists have also suggested that customers should clean ingredients before cooking and ensure foods are thoroughly cooked to kill the coronavirus and other pathogenic microorganisms.
