Chinese government bans consumption of wild animals over COVID-19

Lawmakers in Shenzhen, China have banned its residents from consuming certain animals including dog, snake, frog, turtle and cat meats.

According to the notice by the Chinese government, the legislation which was passed on Wednesday will take effect on May 1, 2020.

The law comes after the coronavirus outbreak was linked to wildlife meat, prompting Chinese authorities to ban the trade and consumption of wild animals BBC news reports.

The officials said “Dogs and cats as pets have established a much closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and banning the consumption of dogs and cats and other pets is a common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“This ban also responds to the demand and spirit of human civilization. ” Residents are only allowed to dine on aquatic animals permitted by law.”

The government stated that certain livestock like pigs, cows, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons were safe for consumption.

However, due to the continuous spread of the virus, there are now close to one million confirmed cases of the virus worldwide, and more than 47,000 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

According to the National Health Commission in China alone, there are 81,589 confirmed cases and 3,318 deaths.

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