Viewpoint: SARS-CoV-2 (The Cause of COVID-19 in Humans) is Not Known to Infect Aquatic Food Animals Nor Contaminate Their Products (Revised 23 April 2020)

This paper is in response to the need for clear communication regarding the risk of transmission of the novel Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 in humans and the general societal concern of potential contamination, of aquatic animals used as food or their products, with the virus SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the family Coronaviridae and genus Betacoronavirus Betacoronaviruses are only reported to infect mammals Currently there is no evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can infect aquatic food animals (e g finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, amphibians) and therefore these animals do not play an epidemiological role in spreading COVID-19 to humans Aquatic food animals and their products, like any other surface, may potentially become contaminated with SARS-CoV-2, especially when handled by people who are infected with the virus Nevertheless, with proper food handling and sanitation, the likelihood of contamination of aquatic animals or their products with SARS-CoV-2 should be negligible The COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect livelihoods, food security and nutrition for populations that rely on aquatic animals as a source of food or income On a positive side, however, COVID-19 outbreaks may lead to an increase in local community utilization of aquatic food animals or their products due to limited transportation or limited supplies of alternative sources of animal proteins © Asian Fisheries Society