China to introduce COVID-19 prevention for restaurant, food company employees

China will soon implement a set of guidelines for people involved in the food production and catering industry to prevent and control COVID-19, an official said on Friday.

Based on studies of previous infection cases at home and abroad in food companies and markets, the guidelines will include all-round and systematic epidemic containment measures, said Zhang Zhiqiang, an official with the National Health Commission.

The COVID-19 prevention and control measures will cover the training of relevant personnel, their health management, the resumption of businesses, the cleaning and disinfection of facilities, the disposal of contaminated food, and protection measures in food service industries, Zhang said.

The guidelines will be made public after the final examination of experts, Zhang noted.

Earlier, the government had already released guidelines for regular COVID-19 containment in low-risk areas during the summer months, asking food industry employees to wear masks and keep a distance from others, Zhang said.

He noted that the previous guidelines also provided protection advice for consumers on food purchasing and cooking.

He added that a set of sanitary standards will also be published to better regulate the production, processing, transport, and retailing of food via cold chains, which will better prevent food contamination by the novel coronavirus.