Staffers conduct disinfection on packages arrving from outside the country in the terminal site of Beijing Air Mail Processing Center on November 19, 2021. Photo: CFP

Beijing's health authority has released the first guideline on international mail amid the COVID-19 epidemic, urging people to strengthen testing and disinfection of mail, health monitoring for postal staff and protective measures for mail-openers.

The Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Beijing CDC) released an anti-pandemic technical guideline in dealing with international mails and packages on Saturday, asking people to open overseas packages outside their homes with masks and gloves on. 

People are also advised to disinfect the mails' external packaging and the mail per se, and to have a voluntary test if they have a fever or cough within 14 days after touching international packages.

According to the guideline, coronavirus monitoring and complete preventive disinfection are required for international mails during the whole process from border entry, mail sorting, and transportation to delivery, when they should be put under separate storage with domestic ones.

The guideline also requires postal staff handling overseas packages to be fully vaccinated and receive COVID-19 tests at least once a week.

The guideline came after an Omicron case, which was detected in Beijing on January 15, turned out to be traced back to an international document from Canada. The mail was sent from Canada on January 7, transferred via the US and China's Hong Kong region before reaching Beijing on January 11.

Beijing CDC officials said the Omicron variant was detected on the outer package, internal surface and papers of the mail.

Meanwhile, a patient from Shenzhen, who was confirmed to be infected with Omicron on January 16, is likely to have contracted the virus after being exposed to contaminated goods from overseas, Shenzhen's health authorities said at a press conference on January 17. The patient, whose work involved handling overseas frozen reagents for collection and delivery, had touched and opened packages from North America without using personal protective gear.

China's postal administration has vowed to "build a barrier" against COVID-19 cases imported through international express mail.

Global Times