A common fish enjoyed by many for its richness in flavour, salmon is commonly found sold in many supermarkets. But for supermarkets operating in Beijing, the signature orange coral of the fish is nowhere to be found after reports emerge that the Covid-19 virus was found on the chopping board of a salmon wholesaler.
The incident was said to have happened last Friday (12th June 2020) after a new Covid-19 cluster was detected in the city’s biggest wholesale wet market, Xinfandi Market. Out of the 517 samples taken from market vendors, around 45 people have already tested positive for the virus according to Global Times.
A probe into the market environment itself also found that a chopping board used by an importer of salmon fish to have been contaminated with Covid-19, sparking fears over whether the salmon fish sold through the vendor carried the virus itself, reports CGTN.
While it is not possible for live salmon to contract the virus as they live in water and viruses can’t survive on frozen salmon meat, Lin Li, chief scientist of a team that monitors aquatic disease and control in Guangdong Province, has mentioned that viral contamination may occur to the meat of the fish during processing, transportation, or packaging.
However, a paper published by Asian Fisheries Science has continued to maintain their stance that Covid-19 is not known to infect fish or contaminate their products.
At this point in time, it is unclear how the chopping board was contaminated with Covid-19.
Despite that, rising fears among supermarket operators and consumers alike have led to the temporary halt in the sale and distribution of salmon in Beijing. Many supermarkets have already removed the product from shelves, while consumers have been advised to temporarily avoid consuming raw salmon.
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Also read: Parts of Beijing in Lockdown Due to First Covid-19 Cases in Nearly Two Months
