Health

Coronavirus found on auto parts from Daimler factory in China

Shanghai, China, Jan 4 (efe-epa).- Authorities have found coronavirus on auto parts shipped from an accessories department of a subsidiary of the German firm Daimler in Beijing, according to a media report published on Monday.

The virus had survived on the parts for a long time due to the cold weather.

It was detected when the parts were shipped to different regions of the country, the public broadcaster CGTN said.

The first coronavirus case at the auto parts company, located in the Jinma industrial area in Shunyi District, was detected on Dec.26.

The authorities in the Chinese capital quickly suspended production and isolated the industrial area, where the factory is located.

Local regulators say the Daimler subsidiary, which quarantined the workers, failed to comply strictly with anti-covid regulations, allowing employee meetings and improper use of masks.

So far, a total of 11 infections of Covid-19 have been confirmed within the factory premises.

However, an expert from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) China said the workers who were infected with the virus first contaminated the parts, ruling out the other way round possibility.

Samples from the Daimler factory that tested positive were transported to Inner Mongolia and Shanxi (north) or Shandong (east).

However, according to the CDC, the amount of virus found on the auto parts is “relatively small,” and people who came in contact with them may not be infected.

China is probing not only the human-to-human transmission of the virus but also its survival on inert objects.

A particular emphasis is on food packages imported in cold chains from other countries where the pandemic is still wreaking havoc.

The official media has been trumpeting the narrative that the first outbreak of the pandemic, in the central-eastern city of Wuhan, could have been caused by such type of imports. EFE-EPA

vec/ssk

Related Articles

Back to top button