The Chilean salmon industry is facing a new headache after a strict new coronavirus lockdown regime was announced Monday for the main processing hub of Puerto Montt, which is battling a steep increase in COVID-19 cases.
Lockdown restrictions in Puerto Montt are scheduled to take effect beginning 22:00 local time on Wednesday.
A similar full lockdown in Santiago has meant citizens are only able to leave their homes for up to two hours on certain days of the week to carry out essential shopping trips, leaving only those that can work from home to do so.
It's not entirely clear what this means for the salmon sector in Pueto Montt, but there could be implications throughout the salmon supply chain.
"It will undoubtedly have effects for the industry," Salmones Aysen Executive Director Pablo Baraona told IntraFish.
"However, aquaculture has been declared an essential activity, so it can operate even if there is a quarantine. At least it has been this way so far. But with greater difficulty, no doubt."
But Arturo Clement, president of salmon producers trade body SalmonChile is more positive stating that he believes the industry will suffer little or no impact.
"The industry has been defined as essential so it should function without any problems," he said.
If the industry were determined not to be essential, the salmon sector's activities could be severely restricted, potentially affecting production and shipping of its products.
The salmon and other industries have previously resisted attempts to lock down Puerto Montt but amid the rise in cases appear to have run out of road.
Fresh salmon bound for the US market is transported from processing plants in Puerto Montt by truck to Santiago, where it is flown to Miami and also the west coast.
Fish may also be transported by ferry from Chiloe island to Pargua and then on to Puerto Montt, nearly 40 miles away.
The Chilean industry could do without anymore headaches at this juncture.
It is already reeling from the loss of its 35,000 metric tons a year Chinese market with consumers in the Asia powerhouse nation shunning salmon from Chile following the discovery of COVID19 on a chopping board used to cut salmon in a Beijing wholesale market.
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July 28, 2020 at 01:44AM
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Chile salmon processing hub Puerto Montt faces COVID lockdown - IntraFish
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