Staff at the fishing port check the health codes, digital travel records and vaccination status of the people entering at the only access point. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

It was smiles all round after fishermen at Lyusi fishing port – located in the county-level city of Qidong in Nantong, in East China's Jiangsu province – were allowed to catch fish on Aug 1, after a three-month moratorium.

In a bid to effectively prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic at the fishing port and its vessels and ensure the safe production of the fisheries, Qidong conducted closed management of Lyusi fishing port from July 30. All fishermen who were set to go out in the boats received a nucleic acid test.

As only access was allowed to the facility after the initiative, it was arranged for staff to be on duty 24 hours to check the health codes, digital travel records and vaccination status of those entering the port.

At present, a first group of 122 fishing vessels have gone to sea. "After the boats went out, we instructed the fishing boats and crew to have no interaction with the crews of foreign fishing boats, to prevent the occurrence of epidemics at sea," said Jiang Lingjun, deputy head of the fishery bureau of Lyusigang town.

"The fishery departments will have an inspection to ensure the safety of the crew and the catch after the boats return to port," Jiang added.