BEIJING – China has stirred controversy with claims it has detected the coronavirus on packages of imported frozen food.
Frozen shrimp imported from an Ecuadorian company was banned for one week on Tuesday in a continuing series of such temporary bans.While experts say the virus can survive for a time on cardboard and plastic containers, it remains unclear how serious a risk that poses.
Like so many issues surrounding the pandemic, the matter has swiftly become politicized. China has rejected complaints from the U.S.
and others, saying it is putting people’s lives first. Experts say they generally don’t consider the presence of the virus on packaging to be a significant health risk.