TIANJIN, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Tianjin Municipality in north China has found COVID-19 virus on samples from imported frozen food packaging, local authorities said on Saturday.

File photo: agencies

The city's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters stated that during inspections of imported cold-chain food, authorities detected the novel coronavirus in samples from the packaging of imported, frozen cod in cold storage in Jinnan District on Friday. It was also found on imported frozen hairtail packaging in cold storage in the Binhai New Area on Saturday.

Authorities have sealed the imported goods (which did not enter the market), disinfected the environment, and quarantined relevant people linked with it and their close contacts.

China has stepped up efforts to block the spread of COVID-19 through imported food. The Ministry of Transport released a guideline in mid-November to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 through cold-chain food imported via roads and waterways.

The State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 has also unveiled a plan for full-chain, closed-loop, traceable management of imported cold-chain food.