Chinese Supermarket Shut Down in Abuja Over Fear of Coronavirus

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, January 29th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – As the deadly new Coronavirus ravages in China, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has shut down a Chinese-owned Panda Supermarket in the Jabi area of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The move is part of the measure to prevent the spread of the virus in Nigeria.

In a series of tweets Wednesday, the FCCPC posted that it had confiscated some frozen food items illegally imported from China.

Frozen food items posted on the agency’s Twitter showed that they had expiry dates of 2089 which further aroused suspicion that they were not certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The tweets indicated: “The FCCPC inspected Panda Supermarket, Jabi, on credible reports that it discriminated and had a concealed area for Asian nationals. The allegation was confirmed. Seafood and animal products imported illegally from China were discovered.

“The store was closed for cautionary reasons considering the Coronavirus. Products with expired and irregular shelf life were also discovered at Panda. Regulatory activities to remove all such products from the supermarket continue.”

Earlier in the week, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the government would set up inter-multi-sectoral committee to scale up surveillance and vigilance.

He observed that the risk of importation is possible in all countries, assuring that the capacity to detect access and respond to the possible situation and other public health challenges have been put in place.

Apart from this, Dr. Ehanire disclosed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had set up coronavirus group and was ready to activate its incident system for coronavirus if any case emerged in the country.

Coronavirus was first identified by Chinese researchers with the pathogen behind a mysterious illness which has infected 59 people in Wuhan, Hubei in 2019, a city of 11 million in central China.

It was learnt that the virus is a group of viruses common among animals but lately confirmed that it could as well infect humans.