Photo:Xinhua

A new case of asymptomatic infection with COVID-19 was reported at Yantian Port in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Saturday, following an international freighter boarding operator from Yantian Port testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

The new case surnamed Xu, 46, was diagnosed as an asymptomatic patient on Saturday after tests of an international freighter boarding operator surnamed Mu, who was confirmed as a case on Friday, according to a statement from the Yantian COVID-19 prevention and control office. 

Xu and Mu had boarded the same international cargo ship to work together. The area of the two workers' main activities in the last 14 days is around the port area and residential areas, the statement said.

Both Xu and Mu are asymptomatic cases, and Xu has been transferred to the local hospital for isolation treatment, the statement said.

The international freighter boarding operator, 44, surnamed Mu, was diagnosed as an asymptomatic patient on Friday in a weekly regular nucleic acid test. 

Relevant areas were suspended from operation and went through disinfection, according to an official notice, without specifying which operation area from Yantian Port was closed down and if international container routes were affected. 

Yantian port has three operation zones. Mu was working as an international freighter boarding operator from the western operation zone, according to the notice. 

Yantian Port is a hub port dominated by international routes in Southern China. Nearly 100 routes are made every week and 60 percent of the routes are to European countries and the US, according to the information posted on the official website in October of 2018.

The port handles one third of Guangdong's foreign trade shipments and one quarter of China's exports to the US, Shenzhen government said.

Yantian Port has cumulatively handled 200 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit) as of February 1 this year, a new milestone that was achieved in only eight years from the previous milestone of 100 million TEUs reached in 2013, CCTV.com reported.

Global Times