East China city detects coronavirus on imported frozen food

NANJING -- An imported frozen food sample in the city of Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, local authorities said Tuesday.

The sample was taken from a batch of frozen sliced pig ears imported from the United States as part of a regular screening before the entry of any imported frozen food into the city's cold storage warehouse, according to the city's epidemic prevention and control office.

None of the goods have been distributed into the local market. Local authorities have sealed and disinfected the food and quarantined those who had contact with the tainted items.

China has stepped up efforts to block COVID-19 spread through imported foods, with the Ministry of Transport releasing a guideline in November to prevent the transmission of the virus through imported cold-chain foods in road and water transportation.

The State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 has also unveiled a plan to realize full-chain, closed-loop, traceable management of imported cold-chain foods.