Wuhan Government Bans Wild Animals Consumption, Trade

"A complete ban on the consumption of wild animals and their derivative products is introduced. The ban applies to all terrestrial animals, including those in the state list of protected animals," the document says.

The decree includes the prohibition of selling animals via the internet.

In late February, the Standing Committee of China People's Congress voted to begin the process of eradicating traditions of consumption and use of exotic and wild animals across the country.

An animal market in Wuhan is widely believed to be the site where the novel coronavirus jumped from its original animal host to humans.

Genome analysis of the coronavirus tentatively points to an origin in bats with pangolins serving as intermediary carriers, both wild animals that have been consumed in China.