AUTHORITIES have ordered inspections of imported seafood amid fears food imported from Thailand could be contaminated with Covid-19 following a fresh outbreak in that country.
The National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Dec 24 issued a notice asking the ministries responsible to begin inspections.
It came shortly after the Ministry of Industry and Commerce banned the import and transit via Laos of seafood from neighbouring countries that have an ongoing outbreak.
It was seen as a clear reference to Thailand, a main seafood supplier for Laos, after an outbreak of Covid-19 was reported at a wholesale shrimp market in the kingdom’s Samut Sakhon province.
The National Taskforce asked ministries to enforce the ban on imported seafood, conduct inspections, and collect samples of imported fresh seafood, frozen seafood, and processed seafood for testing.
The taskforce told the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to compile a list of seafood business operators across the country, to ease inspections and monitoring.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport was asked to draw up specific regulations concerning the transport of seafood. — Vientiane Times/ANN
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