Salmon Shunned in China After Link to Beijing Virus ...
A fresh outbreak of coronavirus cases in Beijing is being blamed on imported salmon, prompting a nationwide boycott of the fish.
Salmon has been taken off the shelves in major supermarkets like Walmart Inc. and deleted from grocery delivery platforms across China, while top experts are warning people not to consume the omega-3 rich seafood. The backlash came after the chairman of a major fruit and vegetable market called Xinfadi, the site of over 100 newly-detected infections, said that the virus was traced to the chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon.
While it is unclear if the virus can be actually be transmitted through frozen food that’s later thawed, the furore has put a $700 million market for imported salmon at risk, dealing a blow to major exporters like Denmark, Norway and Australia.
The swift shunning of salmon reflects China’s growing fears over the abrupt resurgence of cases in its capital city -- the cultural and political center of the country where 20 million people reside. Over 20 housing compounds have been placed under lockdown and some schools closed while local officials race to track down people who’ve visited or had contact with the Xinfadi market.....MORE
Zeng Guang, a senior expert with the National Health Commission, said in an interview with state media on Sunday that “we have yet to find out whether human beings transmitted the virus to salmon, or salmon contracted the virus first.” He warned Beijing residents not to eat raw salmon or purchase imported seafood for the time being....
