Norway’s fish ‘not cause’ of new cases

BEIJING OUTBREAK: VIRUS LINKED TO SALMON

At least 137 infected since last week after virus traced to cutting board.

Norway said yesterday that salmon from the country was not the cause of the recently discovered outbreak of the new coronavirus in Beijing, after many Chinese restaurants and retailers stopped selling imported salmon.

Norwegian salmon came under scrutiny in China after a recently discovered cluster of new coronavirus cases was reportedly traced to the Xinfadi meat market in Beijing and a chopping board used for cutting up imported salmon.

Fisheries Minister Odd Emil

Ingebrigtsen, quoted by TDN Finans, said: “We’re working out the details today and I can confirm the issue seems to be resolved.”

Ingebrigtsen said Chinese and Norwegian officials met on Tuesday and concluded that Norwegian salmon was unlikely to be the source of the virus detected last week at the Beijing market.

At least 137 people have been infected since last week in China’s capital, a resurgence of infections that has led to the lockdown of several neighbourhoods and the cancellation of more than a thousand flights.

Major supermarket chains removed all stocks of salmon in the capital, Beijing Daily reported on Saturday. Some Beijing restaurants were not serving any salmon last weekend, according to AFP reporters.

Beijing’s airports cancelled two-thirds of all flights and schools in the Chinese capital were closed again yesterday as authorities rushed to contain a new coronavirus outbreak.

The city reported 31 new cases yesterday while officials urged residents not to leave Beijing, with fears growing about a second wave of infections in China, which had largely brought its outbreak under control.

At least 1 255 scheduled flights were cancelled yesterday morning, state-run People’s Daily reported, nearly 70% of all trips to and from Beijing’s main airports.

Authorities had already announced a travel ban for residents of “medium- or high-risk” areas of the city, while requiring all other residents to take nucleic acid tests in order to leave Beijing. “The epidemic situation in the capital is extremely severe,” Beijing city spokesman Xu Hejian warned on Tuesday.

The city has reported 137 infections over the past six days. – AFP