China bans seafood from Indonesian exporter after virus found

An Indonesian seafood exporter has become the latest in a string of companies to be slapped with a ban by China after product packaging tested positive for the coronavirus.

The country will halt imports of aquatic products from PT Putri Indah for a week after finding coronavirus particles on the packaging of frozen hairtail, the customs office said in statement. The company based in North Sumatra did not immediately respond to requests for comment by text and phone.

Chinese authorities have been investigating imported meat, seafood, packaging and containers as a potential source of Covid-19 since June after repeatedly finding traces of the pathogen. Still, only six of more than 500,000 samples have tested positive for the coronavirus, customs said earlier this month.

The country has previously banned imports of products including frozen meat, Ecuadorian shrimps and Brazilian chicken wings following positive tests.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that there’s no evidence Covid-19 is transmitted on food or food packaging, Chinese researchers have found coronavirus on chilled salmon may be infectious for more than a week.