E-Paper
Fish, crabs undergoing Covid PCR test? Watch viral video
In a viral video posted on Twitter, Chinese officials can be seen inserting cotton buds in the mouths of fishes and swabbing the shell of crabs to take samples for Covid-19 tests.
As Covid-19 infections are increasing in China, the country has found unique ways to grapple with the situation. Recently, a video went viral on social media where Chinese authorities could be seen increasing the scope of the PCR test beyond human beings.
In a viral video posted by the Twitter handle of South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper, Chinese officials can be seen inserting cotton buds in the mouths of fishes and swabbing the shell of crabs to take samples for Covid-19 tests.
The tests come after the local Chinese government announced in July that fishermen ought to take Covid-19 tests mandatorily for themselves and the seafood they catch, the South China Morning Post reported, quoting Jimei Maritime Pandemic Control Committee. The measures come against the fear that the illegal trade of animals could contribute to the worsening situation of the virus outbreak in the country.
Also Read | BRI loses steam, no fresh Chinese investment post-Covid pandemic
China reported 2,678 cases for Thursday, down from 3,424 a day earlier, the country's worst week of Covid-19 infections since mid-May, fueled by outbreaks in vacation hotspots in places such as Hainan and Tibet.
The officials in Yunnan province also issued an advisory to tourists returning from Tibet to quarantine themselves. ‘A decision by officials in the southern Yunnan province to deny entry to travellers from Tibet over the weekend because of a lack of quarantine facilities created a four-mile traffic jam involving hundreds of cars, despite police urging residents to avoid the routes that had backed up,’ news agency Bloomberg reported.
