The chief of the Department of Health has confirmed that seafood is safe for consumption but people must wear gloves while buying it and frequently wash hands.
Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the department, gave the confirmation while visiting the Nakhon-In branch of the Makro wholesale centers in Muang district of Nonthaburi.
The visit was intended to allay consumers’ concerns about seafood safety in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak at a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province that is the seafood hub of the country.
Dr Suwannachai said that consumers remained safe as long as they wore gloves while picking seafood at markets, did not touch their face masks during seafood selection, washed hands regularly and cooked seafood before eating it.
Welcoming Dr Suwannachai’s delegation, Siriporn Dechsingha, chief corporate communication officer of Siam Makro, said that since the outbreak in Samut Sakhon, seafood sales of Siam Makro dropped by 10-20% and it turned to source seafood from other provinces in the Central Plain and the South instead of Samut Sakhon. (TNA)
