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32 Situation Report//

Respiratory etiquette: prevent foodborne illness: Clean- Wash hands and surfaces
often, Separate- Separate raw meat from other foods;
• Maintain 1 metre distance between yourself and anyone Cook- Cook to the right temperature, Chill- Refrigerate food
who is coughing or sneezing promptly;

• Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes • Restaurants and supermarkets can offer special discounts
for online orders and home deliveries;
• Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or
coughing • It is safe to eat fish & shellfish cooked at a minimum internal
temperature of 145°F (62.8°C);
• Put used tissue in a covered bin
• For packet or canned seafood use a “sterile technique”
• If no tissue is available use flexed elbow instead of hands before stocking in your house;
while sneezing or coughing
• There should be global and regional monitoring of fake
vii. Ensure Personal Protection Equipments (PPE). news in social media propagated against seafood in other
All types of PPE must be available and selected to suit the media.
potential hazard, be properly fitted and periodically refitted
as applicable (e.g. respirators). Also to be consistently and Conclusion
properly worn when required, regularly inspected, maintained
and replaced as necessary and properly removed, cleaned,
and stored or disposed of to avoid contamination. Handwashing, personal hygiene, social distancing, identifying
persons who may be affected, and testing can prevent
viii. Restrict employees going abroad or on international human-to-human transmission of infectious diseases
tours. During the infectious disease outbreak, travel into or like Covid-19. Nevertheless, these measures are actually
out of a country may not be medically advisable. short term remedies. Greater emphasis should be given to
increasing supplier diversity, formulating a contingency plan
Some takeaway points for production, having an expanded emergency plan; and
long-term risk assessments and awareness programmes.
Moreover, a comprehensive ICT-based platform can be set up
• Fishing vessel and farm owners should follow the quarantine for the exchange of marketing and distribution information, as
and biosecurity measures respectively during an infectious well as implementation of an Electronic Catch Documentation
disease outbreak, to continue their production;
Scheme (eCDS) to minimise the huge losses in the seafood
• Processors network with a lot of people, and are thus in sector and to ensure food safety as well.
the position to ensure that they practise handwashing and
personal hygiene by themselves and encourage others; References

• There should be strong coordination between the 1. https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/protect-
production and distribution stages in order to manage the yourself.html#social-distancing
inventory/SKU successfully without shortfalls or excessive
supply; 2. http://www.bim.ie/media/bim/content/downloads/
Hygiene,Requirements,when,handling,Seafood.pdf
• Retailers and wholesalers should be aware about the
guidelines provided by the regulatory authorities during 3. https://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/lessons-
an infectious disease outbreak so that they can inform the from-the-coronavirus-outbreak-for-the-food-industry/
consumers accordingly;
4. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-
• Seafood processors, distributors, retailers, and food emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-
service and allied industries can carry on their business while covid-19
maintaining social distance, and taking necessary precautions
for community continuity and community resilience; 5. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-
coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
• At every step of seafood handling, cooking and preparation,
consumers should follow the guidelines to keep food safe and 6. https://www.fda.gov/media/136142/download

INFOFISH International 3/2020 ● www.infofish.org