The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in a statement this week that no abnormalities were found in retests on cold-chain aquatic products from Myanmar and Thailand.
The tests came in response to the General Administration of Customs (GAC) in Beijing announcing on Tuesday that samples from the packaging of “frozen aquatic products imported from aquatic product manufacturers in Myanmar and Thailand with registration numbers YGN/090/MMH/DOF and 1180 respectively” tested positive for COVID-19 in nucleic acid tests (NATs), the statement pointed out.
The statement noted that the bureau launched a contingency plan, adopting measures such as “source tracing, investigation and retests” of the manufacturers’ products involved.
Moreover, the statement said that local businesses were asked to seal the products sourced from the manufacturers, while samples were also collected for retests, which yielded no abnormalities. The bureau has also suspended import applications for the involved manufacturers’ products.
The statement added that the bureau has collected samples of frozen aquatic products imported from Myanmar and Thailand since July 2020, with their outer and inner packaging undergoing multiple NATs without positive results of the virus.
The statement underlined that the bureau has conducted disinfection and sample testing of products from both countries in line with COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures, with only products that have passed inspections allowed to enter the city.
Aquatic products are defined as any food or fibre products obtained through the practice of aquaculture, including mariculture; or by harvest from the sea when such products are cultured or landed in this state. Such products include but are not limited to fish, shellfish, seaweed or other water based plant life, according to the Law Insider website.
