Covid, in China, tests also for fish

Local authorities in China have started a test campaign for covid also on sea fish. Videos of the swabs carried out in the port of Xiamen were published on social media, causing ironic reactions. The health department of the city of Xiamen, in the south of the country, confirmed the start of the test campaign, aimed not only at fishermen on their return to port, but also at the fish they caught. “What is caught has to be tested,” a spokesperson said. “And if the fish are positive what do they do, do they send them to quarantine centers?”, Is one of the comments published in reaction to the photo that refers to the controversial policies to contain the epidemic adopted in the country in the name of ‘zero tolerance’ The decision to extend the campaign to fish was taken after a directive was issued last month in the entire district of Jimei, of which Xiamen is part, denouncing the risk of illegal trafficking with foreign fishermen and asking test to fishermen and fished. Travelers arriving in China still have to quarantine for seven days in a hotel and then remain under observation for three days. In many cities across the country, people are required to have a test every three days. Before entering the shops, markets, or even the residential complexes they live in, people must exhibit a negative test result. Anyone who comes into contact with the virus must isolate themselves while those who test positive must be hospitalized. In the presence of even one case, the entire neighborhood is sealed off. But the virus continues to circulate. 500 new symptomatic cases and more than 2,000 asymptomatic cases have been recorded, many of them in the southern tourist resort of Hainan, where tens of thousands of tourists have been stranded. The Xiamen Marine Development Office explained that the coronavirus may have been brought to the island by fishermen who came into contact with their foreign colleagues offshore. “We are not the only place where a fish testing campaign has started,” a spokesperson explained.