China's extreme Covid request as Beijing Olympics loom
As the Beijing Winter Olympics draws near, authorities in China are desperate to suppress lingering Covid-19 infection in the community.
China has implemented arguably the world's most draconian measures during the pandemic as it continues to uphold its Covid-zero strategy.
With the country facing several outbreaks across multiple provinces in recent weeks, its largest surge in cases since the virus emerged in Wuhan, authorities are clamping down on any possible route the virus can take into the community.
China has long peddled the theory the virus was imported into the country through frozen goods – a claim Western experts have suggested lacks credibility.
But Beijing has once again pointed to overseas for the emergence of the Omicron variant in the country by suggesting it may have come from a package to arrive from Canada after the first reported case says they opened a parcel from the North American country.
Strict instructions for opening overseas post
State broadcaster CCTV instructed residents to minimise purchases from overseas and when receiving a package, they must wear a mask and gloves and open the package outdoors.
China has vowed to step up disinfection of overseas mail and insists postal staff are fully vaccinated when they handle it.
Research from Denis Corpet, a microbiologist from the University of Toulouse, states Covid-19 becomes inactivated on paper after three hours while cardboard is roughly said to be able hold the virus for up to 24 hours.
Transmission from surfaces is extremely low, experts say, with airborne transmission far more likely.
It comes as Hong Kong took the extreme measure of culling 2,000 hamsters earlier in the week after cases were linked to a pet shop. Eleven hamsters later tested positive to the virus.
Pet owners were advised to avoid kissing their animals.
Health Secretary Sophia Chan told a news conference authorities were acting out of caution even though there was no evidence domestic animals can infect humans.
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