They said on Thursday that they had found the virus on samples of a batch of imported fish and its outer packaging on sale at the fish stall. The stall was closed this morning and shoppers and handlers are ordered to get tested.

The Centre for Food Safety confirmed that batch of frozen pomfrets were imported from Indonesia, involving exporter PT. Perishable Logistics Indonesia.

The center also found that the batch of fish were sold to the wholesale fish market in Aberdeen and Cheung Sha Wan, which were then sold to five retailers.

As of last night, the center has arranged nine persons who have handled or contacted the fish products to undergo virus tests.

The center said that on Tuesday, officers drew 10 pomfret samples from that batch of imported fish, weighing about 270kg, from Indonesia and carried out examinations. They then found the virus on two of the pomfret samples and one of the outer packaging. The samples were found carrying a low viral load.

Last night, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had sent officers to sanitize the fish stall and carry out thorough cleaning.

Investigation targeting the fish stall and the market is underway and the center will conduct more stringent inspections on imported frozen food and packaging.