China will stop testing some imported goods for Covid-19. The nation has swabbed and disinfected overseas shipments since 2020, often blaming imports for resurgent outbreaks. The restrictions on imported goods had previously created a bottleneck for some products – in one instance requiring thousands of tons of tropical fruit to languish at the border with Vietnam while drivers waited to be allowed into China.
Non-refrigerated items, including shipments of coal, mineral ore, foodstuffs and animal feed can now enter China without being swabbed for Covid-19, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement on Tuesday, although certain “high-risk” items must still be disinfected.
The NHC said the decision was intended to “ensure the stability of the industrial and supply chains” and noted that “under room temperature conditions the novel coronavirus can only survive for a short time on the surface of most objects”.
Source: khmertimeskh.com
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