COVID-19 tests on Ecuador shrimps turn all negative in Jiangsu

Jiangsu’s intensive tests of imported frozen shrimps from Ecuador against coronavirus turned negative results so far.

The virus was found in other provinces on external packaging for the frozen shrimps and the inner walls of containers from three shrimp producers in Ecuador, according to China’s customs authority. Then the province started the test on July 10.

Health departments of 13 cities with districts worked cooperatively with local market supervision departments to obtain timely information of frozen shrimp sales and organize nucleic acid tests on the outer packaging of sealed frozen shrimp and shrimp bodies. Any positive sample will be immediately investigated and disposed of using epidemiological methods in accordance with relevant regulations, and will then be reported to higher-level authorities.

A total of 1,262 samples in 233 batches had been taken as of July 14, including 922 samples in 142 batches collected from the involving producers.

There have been 358 shrimp body samples tested, and further tests have been done on the exterior and interior of containers and packaging. Another 105 were taken from the environment and 254 from related workers.

All samples so far have tested negative. Follow-up emergency monitoring work is still in progress.