China: China postal service authorities have ordered its workers to thoroughly disinfect overseas parcels as the Winter Olympics host tackles the worst surge. It has also urged the public to reduce purchases and deliveries from “countries and regions with a high overseas epidemic risk” as the scare of spread sustains. It also ordered all postal service agents handling foreign letters to get their booster shots.
An emphasis on the danger posed by the parcel services was placed as investigators found people newly infected had picked up packages mailed from Canada and the U.S. Speculations on the spread of the virus through postal services scored after a woman in Beijing whom authorities said had no contact with other infected people but tested positive for a variant similar to those found in North America.
Though top health organizations across the world claim the surface in contact with the virus is 99 per cent cleaned within 3 days, the Chinese are not willing to take any risks ahead of its Winter Olympics in Beijing weeks later.
Millions have been confined to their homes in multiple cities in recent weeks after cases of both the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants flared.
Recent infections have been detected in areas that receive a high volume of international goods, including in the eastern port city of Tianjin and the southern manufacturing region of Guangdong.