China has called for no imports because of Omicron
Chinese authorities are urging citizens not to order goods from abroad, claiming that a recent Omicron infection found in Beijing came from an international shipment from Canada.
China is fighting outbreaks in several provinces, including cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant. Most of those infected have been found in Tianjin, where the country's first case of Omicron was discovered on December 9th.
The discovery of a single case of Omicron in neighboring Beijing over the weekend has raised concerns. Tracking found that the infection did not come from another province, but from a package sent from Toronto, through the United States and Hong Kong.
Liao Lingju, deputy director of the city's postal administration, urged people “not to buy products from overseas.”
According to authorities, the patient, diagnosed with the Omicron variant on Saturday, “admitted” that he received the package on January 11. The package was sent four days in advance.
Authorities have since quarantined the patient's family, courier and more than 60 others as close contacts. More than 16,000 people were tested in the patient's home neighborhood in Haidian.
/BNT