The eastern city of Hangzhou has beefed up its Covid 19 control measures for imported goods ahead of the 19th Asian Games, which it will host in September.
Since Wednesday, multiple electronics markets have been required to suspend operations until they can pass inspections by disease control officials, who will check on their supplier’s license, quarantine certificate for imported products, Covid-19 nucleic acid test report, and the preventive disinfection certificate, Caixin has learned.
Local authorities are putting a lot of effort into ensuring the Asian Games go off without a hitch, sources told Caixin. It is expected that around 27,000 people from Asian and Oceanian countries and regions will participate in the event, posing a challenge to local disease control authorities.
Over the Lunar New Year holiday last week, the Zhejiang province was hit by a flare-up of the omicron variant that was fed by community transmission. At a press conference on Jan. 28, local authorities confirmed that the recent outbreak originated from a case linked to the transport of imported coffee machines.
Previously, the inspection of imported goods in Hangzhou mainly focused on fresh and refrigerated or frozen food products. The new requirements have been strengthened to cover all imported goods, including electronics and appliances.
An online merchant based in Hangzhou that deals in fresh produce told Caixin that local stores have not taken imported fruit off their shelves after obeying the related requirements, even after the new regulations were issued.
China has adopted strict disinfection rules for inbound cargo. Beijing and Shenzhen have gradually strengthened the management of mail coming in from overseas and have encouraged residents to disinfect packages upon arrival.
According to the World Health Organization, the coronavirus spreads mainly between people who are in close contact with each other via droplets that are inhaled. People can also get infected by touching their eyes, nose or mouth after touching surfaces or objects that have been contaminated, or by droplets that are suspended in the air in poorly ventilated spaces.
Han Wei contributed to this report.
Contact reporter Li Hang (hangli@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
