China's customs authority has suspended imports of poultry meat from U.S. firm Tyson Foods starting Sunday, said the General Administration of Customs in a statement.

The meat processor recently reported COVID-19 cases among its employees, prompting an assessment of the list of meats eligible for export to China, said the statement.

Tyson Foods products already arrived or about to arrive in China will be temporarily suspended, said the customs authority.

The U.S. had recorded nearly 2.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a death toll of over 119,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

(Cover image via VCG)