Fishy testing: China mandates Covid testing for fish

In a fresh wave of strict Covid-zero policy, a city in China is forcing fishers and their seafood to undergo daily Covid testing.

At this coastal city in China, something fishy is happening.

As China continues to enforce its zero-Covid policy, Xiamen authorities have introduced mandatory Covid testing for the haul caught by fisheries.

In a video that has gone viral online, people in full-body hazmat suits can be seen using long cotton swabs – a stable of PCR and RAT testing equipment – and vigorously swabbing the mouths of fish.

Watch out, the fish might have covid.
Only in china pic.twitter.com/aa2sNPzn8m

— Stephen (@Stephen71371881) August 9, 2022

In other videos posted to Twitter, Covid testers can be seen operating in what appears to be a large fish market, working their way from tray to tray, swabbing fish and even joining sea-bound fishers on their boats, clad in their full-body suits.

pic.twitter.com/qNJgY3yuBP

— 聚财经 (财经新闻每日精选25条) (@jucaijing) August 8, 2022

As part of the country’s strict Covid policies, authorities mandated late in July that fishers and their catch are to undergo daily nucleic acid testing.

Xiamen Jimei district’s political and legal committee said the strict measures were necessary after finding that some fishers had engaged in illegal trade or have made contact with overseas vessels at sea, “resulting in the import of the coronavirus”.

“At present, all people in Xiamen City need nucleic acid testing, and the fish catches must be tested as well,” a Xiamen municipal ocean development bureau employee told local media.

Crabs and shrimp are also being tested as part of this measure.

This comes after the Sanya provincial government announced that the Omicron subvariant had been “imported” into the area after local fishers transacted seafood with foreign fishers on August 4.

A medical worker processes people at a Covid-19 testing centre in Xiamen. Picture: AFP

‘At present, all people in Xiamen City need nucleic acid testing, and the fish catches must be tested as well.’ Picture: Hector Retamal/AFP

Sanya, which is famed for its beach resorts, is currently experiencing a citywide Covid outbreak since Omicron was “imported” into the area.

Another nearby island-province, Hainan, is also experiencing a serious outbreak and is attempting to prevent further spread.

However, while the seafood scare has prompted the intense testing of seafood, there have been no confirmed reports of fish, crabs or shrimp containing any traces of the virus.

Some Twitter users have criticised the push to test seafood, many of which are dead before being tested.

“It’s reassuring that they’re testing fish for an airborne respiratory virus,” one user said sarcastically. “I feel safer already.”

Others pointed out that resources spent on testing the catch should instead be redirected to testing people.

Catch of the day! It doesn't matter if you're young or old, fish or crab - can't escape China's zero-covid policy and the nucleic acid tests. pic.twitter.com/stoqsGyYf1

— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) August 17, 2022

Social media users have reacted to the viral videos describing the measure as an example of “Covid insanity”.

But speaking to South China Morning Post, a Xiamen municipal ocean development bureau spokesman said that the city had learned a “lesson from Hainan” and its outbreak.

“We test humans as well as what they caught at the same time – sample tests for the same batch of seafood,” he said.

“We’re not the only place doing this.”

Over the past years during the Covid-19 outbreak, China has conducted PCR tests on a variety of animals including chickens and cats.