Chinese officials call to end overseas deliveries for unnerving reason

Officials in Beijing have urged for an end to overseas deliveries, saying that the Omicron coronavirus variant can spread by opening packages that originate in other countries, BBC News reported.

The officials calling to end overseas deliveries cited the case of a woman who contracted the Omicron variant after opening a parcel later found to have traces of the variant on it, BBC News reported. The officials noted that the woman had no prior travel history.

The virus was discovered on the surface of a letter the woman received from Canada as well as on the inside of an unopened letter, health official Pang Xinghuo told reporters on Monday, BBC News reported. Dozens of letters from the same batch were tested, with five reportedly containing traces of COVID-19.

Beijing’s Centre for Disease Control said it could not rule out that the woman was infected by the package, and it suggested that people open parcels outside while wearing gloves, BBC News reported. The infected woman is the first the Chinese government has reported as contracting the Omicron variant.. – READ MORE