Chinese New Year Lockdown Mutes Lobster Exports Again

It is most likely that the Chinese New Year 2021 celebrations this month will be a non-event. Much like last year, the COVID-19 virus infections have spiralled just weeks before the peak travelling period in Asia. For lobster exporters from South Africa and around the world, this does not bode well.

The Chinese government has urged that people stay at home and at least four major cities and a population of about 22 million people are in lockdown. It’s the same in other parts of Asia like Hong Kong and Singapore. Major events have also been cancelled or scaled back due to social distancing restrictions.

For the South Africa lobster industry, it’s a double whammy. Just as the industry thought it might enjoy a bit of a recovery, there was large red tides in the greater St. Helena Bay region.