Salmon workers have demanded a pause in operations due to the virus.
BioBio reports that Arturo Clement, president of SalmonChile, the trade organisation which represents Chile’s largest salmon farmers including AquaChile, Cermaq Chile, Salmones Camanchaca and more, said: “Stopping is an overreaction”.
On Wednesday, currently, around one in five people around the globe are under lockdown – representing 20 per cent of the global population, reported the Guardian.
Chile announced a total closure of its borders last Monday and Latin America’s largest airline LATAM – vital for salmon exports – cancelled 90% of its international flights, reported Reuters. However, cargo is not closed but reduced.
Many of Chile’s workers, including the National Salmon Workers Confederation, sent a letter to President Piñera and also to the Minister of Health, Jaime Mañalich, to halt operations.
In response, Clement said that the industry has put in preventive measures to stop the spread: “We have chosen to continue operating in good sanitary conditions, stopping is an overreaction that does not make sense”.
