Viral video: Even a fish in Shanghai gets swabbed to check for Covid-10

As Covid-19 cases surge in China, the authorities are going to great lengths to curb the spread of infection, including, apparently, even testing seafood for the coronavirus.

A video of a medical worker swabbing a live fish at what appears to be a wet market in Shanghai was posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday, and shared by the South China Morning Post on its YouTube channel two days later. 

In the video, a couple of medical workers can be seen wearing full protective gear. Another person, presumably a fishmonger, holds up a large fish by its mouth, while one of the medical workers swabs the inside of the fish’s mouth round and round several times.

The worker tells the man holding the fish, “Please don’t let go of it.” The fishmonger can be heard laughing as he replies, “Don’t worry, it won’t bite you.”

After the swabbing, the fishmonger lets go of the fish, which quickly splashes back into a tank holding several other fish.

Yahoo!News reports that the video which was shown on Changsha Broadcasting Station, had got 2.3 million views since it was shown.

Curious netizens have asked whether the fish will need to be quarantined if it tests positive for the coronavirus, while others said it was a a “waste of resources”, the report added.

The testing of seafood at a wet market should not be a surprise, since speculation over the origin of the coronavirus’ transmission to humans  revolves around the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, which is considered “Ground Zero” for Covid-19.

On Mar 31, the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission reported 4,144 asymptomatic cases and 358 symptomatic Covid cases.

Most of the 26 million who live in Shanghai, China’s most populous city, were placed in lockdown on Friday (Apr 1), although local cases had declined for a second day in a row, Reuters reported.

Shanghai residents in its eastern and western districts are now required to stay home. They are not even allowed to walk their dogs or take out the trash.

Non-essential businesses in many parts of the city have closed, and public transport in the areas affected by the lockdown is at a standstill.

The city government has said that the lockdown will be lifted in stages.

/TISG

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