Coronavirus found on frozen seafood packaging in China for second time

Chinese authorities have again found the novel coronavirus on the packaging of imported frozen seafood. The frozen food came from the Chinese port city of Dalian and was bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the Yantai city government said that the imported shipment landed at Dalian. However, it did not say anything about where the shipment originated.

Dalian is a port city in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. It has recently witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases.

In July, customs officers in Dalian found the novel coronavirus in the packaging of frozen shrimps imported from Ecuador, following which China suspended imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers.

On Tuesday, the Yantai government said that some of the seafood that the three companies bought, had been processed for export. The rest was kept in cold storage and didn’t enter the market. 

Following the detection of the virus, goods were sealed off and all those who handled the goods were quarantined. All of them have tested negative for coronavirus, the Yantai government said.

Novel coronavirus is said to have originated at a seafood and wildlife market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has globally infected over 20 million people and killed over 730,000 of them.

Although China had controlled the virus outbreak, cases have emerged with returning travelers.

The latest outbreak in Dalian was reported in July, with the first case from a seafood processing company. By August 9, the city had reported 92 cases of COVID-19.