China "Positive COVID-19 Test on Packaging of Korean Frozen Seafood"... One-Week Import Suspension

China Customs General Administration: Positive Results Found in Korean and Myanmar Seafood

On the afternoon of the 25th, a long queue formed at a nucleic acid (PCR) testing site in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the capital of China, where an emergency has been declared due to the spread of COVID-19.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Chinese customs authorities announced that COVID-19 tested positive on the packaging of frozen seafood imported from South Korea and Myanmar, and will suspend imports of related companies' products for one week.

On the 25th (local time), the General Administration of Customs of China posted a notice titled "Emergency Preventive Measures for Korean Companies" on its website, stating, "Nucleic acid (PCR) tests on external packaging samples of some frozen sea bass imported from South Korea showed positive results," and "According to relevant regulations, we will not accept import declarations for products from Korean seafood company H for the next week."

The General Administration of Customs also took the same measure against company M after detecting COVID-19 positive results on external packaging samples of some frozen shrimp imported from Myanmar on the same day.

The Chinese government is strengthening import procedures, considering that the COVID-19 virus could spread during the distribution process of imported frozen food. In particular, Beijing, the capital city, has implemented a "cold chain food distribution quarantine system" since this month, requiring frozen food entering Beijing to undergo inspections before and after entry, followed by additional disinfection before distribution.

Previously, China also announced that the inflow of COVID-19 through imported clothing from countries including South Korea was a route of virus spread.

On the 3rd, Health Times, affiliated with the People's Daily of China, reported citing authorities from Dalian City, Liaoning Province, that an employee at a Korean imported clothing store tested positive for COVID-19, and that the clothing he sold showed positive results. At that time, Health Times also announced that the recent COVID-19 spread was related to imported clothing, reporting that the virus was detected on Korean-made T-shirts stored in the closet of a confirmed patient’s home in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province the day before.

On the 10th of last month, media outlets such as Beijing Shangbao and Guangming Daily reported, "Infections through import and export goods are occurring worldwide." These media stated, "South Korea's daily COVID-19 confirmed cases exceeded 340,000, setting a record high," and "Many confirmed cases in Zhejiang Province were found to have had contact with Korean imported clothing."

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