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Covid outbreak at Qingdao port spooks authorities

Qingdao, the port China has chosen to pilot the easing of crew change regulations, is at the centre of a worrying Covid-19 outbreak.

Two workers at the northeastern port have come down with asymptomatic infections of the virus – the first such cases to hit China in more than a month. The port employees were responsible for unloading frozen seafood.

The Qingdao resurgence is not the first time in recent months where frozen products from overseas have been linked to the spread of coronavirus.

Authorities in Beijing and Dalian have linked other outbreaks to imported food products.

Similarly, in New Zealand, a run of 102 days without a local virus case came to an end when a worker at a cold-storage plant in Auckland fell sick last month.

Splash reported yesterday how Qingdao in Shandong province has become the first Chinese port to reopen for foreign crew change with another nine ports set in the People’s Republic set to follow suit.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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