Authorities in China’s eastern Jilin province have discovered traces of coronavirus on packages of frozen squid imported from Russia, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.
The regional capital Changchun’s Covid-19 prevention office detected the virus particles during a routine screening, Xinhua reported.
All individuals who came into contact with the packages in Changchun were identified and tested negative for Covid-19, Xinhua reported.
At least 10 kilograms of squid from the same batch were imported to the nearby city of Fuyu before the virus was detected. All Fuyu residents who have purchased and eaten squid from this batch between Aug. 24 and 31 have been urged to report to the authorities and take Covid-19 tests.
The squid manufacturer has not been identified and it is unclear whether disciplinary action will be taken against the company. Russian authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
China has carried out widespread routine screenings on imported seafood and meat products since June, when an outbreak in Beijing was linked to a wholesale food market. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities found Covid-19 particles on frozen seafood packages imported from Indonesia.
The World Health Organization has said that Covid-19 cannot multiply on the surface of food packaging and does not encourage disinfecting this packaging.
Russia has confirmed over 1.1 million Covid-19 infections and over 19,400 deaths overall, with new daily cases rising above 6,000 in recent days after hitting a low of 4,600 last month.
China, the country where the pandemic originated, tightened security along its border with Russia this spring in an effort to prevent a second wave of the virus entering the country from its northern neighbor.
‘Cult’ booted from Hawaii island following protests over cultural appropriation
Police in Maui, Hawaii, have intercepted a Colorado-based “cult” at the island’s airport, redirecting them out of the state.
Police said that three members of the group were on route to the island after staying in a rented house in Kauai for a month and were due to arrive at Kahului Airport.
MPD said that during the groups stay in Kauai, “several protests, vandalism and small fires had been reported” and that the group decided to leave for their safety after the protests escalated.
“As a result, Law Enforcement intervened to ensure the safety of the group,” they said.
Protesters have said that they take issue with the group’s ideology and find it “offensive in its appropriation of Hawaiian culture”, according to a report by The Garden Island.
Upon the members arrival at Maui airport, screeners discovered the group had made reservations at a non-approved location, and they were intercepted. Police said they discovered that eleven more group members were traveling on to Maui to meet with the initial group.
One of the group members reportedly said that there had been a “big misunderstanding” and that it was in the group’s “best interest” to return to the mainland, and all fourteen group members voluntarily returned to Colorado.
Jessica Lani Rich, president of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, said that Love Has Won was not redirected for violating coronavirus quarantine restrictions, unlike another cult that recently visited the state, who were arrested and fined.
“During Covid-19, sending two different cults back to the mainland certainly shows that these are unusual cases that the state of Hawaii is getting during these difficult times,” she said, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
