Photo: VCG

 Package of frozen pork imported to Dezhou, East China’s Shandong Province were detected positive for the novel coronavirus, the local government announced on Saturday, noting that all close contacts of the item tested negative for the virus.

The batch of pork was immediately sealed off, and places where the item used to be placed were disinfected, said the local government. But the government did not say where the pork came from. 

Multiple cold chain items imported to China have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in recent months. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in late October that it had detected and isolated the virus in a sample from the outer packaging of imported frozen cod, saying that it showed exposure to virus-contaminated packaging can lead to infection.

Under such special conditions, the virus could infect people who are not effectively protected, mainly including workers in the cold chain sector, which suggested that while preventing the imports of infected cases from abroad, China should also pay attention to the risk of import of virus through cold-chain items, said the CDC.

At the end of October, other cities in Shandong, including Yantai and Anqiu, announced they found coronavirus on outer packaging of imported frozen pork. The virus-infected pork that arrived in Anqiu was from virus-ridden Brazil, said local government. 


Global Times