In a push to eradicate the Sars-Cov-2 virus disease, China ordered fishermen, fish and other live marine animals to undergo anticovid tests.
In the coastal city of Xiamen, 40 cases of the virus were detected, for which the authorities determined that more than 5 million people undergo tests in order to detect COVID-19.
The Xiamen Jimei Maritime Pandemic Control district committee issued a notice saying that when fishermen return to their ports “both the fishermen and their shellfish must be examined.”
These tests have been documented in videos on social platforms, including Douyin, the local version of TikTok in China, showing medical workers giving COVID-19 PCR tests to live fish and crabs.
“It is not the only place that does this”, is detailed in the text.
The tests on marine animals are applied because the province of Hainan in southern China, which is also a coastal region like Xiamen, has recorded more than 10,000 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of August, and the authorities have said they believe this outbreak is likely to be related to the fishing community, according to local media.
The first outbreak of COVID-19 is related to a seafood market located in the city of Wuhan.
Fish aren’t the only non-humans to have been tested for Covid-19 during China’s push to eliminate the virus over the past two years.
In May, official media circulated footage of a hippopotamus being examined at a wildlife park in Huzhou, eastern Zhejiang, saying it was “necessary” for the creature to be examined twice a week.
