Believe it or not, the Covid-19 disease that has infected over 660,000 people, killed over 30,000, and cost millions their jobs, likely originated in a wet market in Wuhan.
The coronavirus is a zoonotic disease, which means it can jump from animals to humans.
And in some wet markets in China, live and dead animals – dogs, chickens, pigs, snakes, civets, and more – are placed in constant close contact.
This makes it easier for the disease to transmit from animals to humans.
And this is exactly what it did in 2003, when the SARS virus jumped from bats to humans. Many believe the same thing happened with Covid-19, though they’re not sure which animal is the culprit.
You would think that after two major outbreaks, these market owners would learn their lesson, right?
Nope. They’re actually doing it again.
Chinese Markets Allegedly Resume Selling Wildlife & Bats As COVID-19 is Now Contained in China
According to the Daily Mail, China has allegedly started reopening squalid meat markets to celebrate its ‘victory’ over the coronavirus.
This was after the Chinese government lifted a nationwide lockdown and encouraged people to go back to normal daily life to boost the economy.
Infections rates have also dropped significantly, leading many to believe that the outbreak is over.
As a result, some wet markets of the kind that started the pandemic three months ago have reopened, with no apparent change in hygiene standards.
Some of these markets have poor dogs and cats crammed into rusty cages, as shown below in an indoor market in Guilin, south-west China.
Yes, those are cats. The fluffy little creatures that we love to pet and be ignored by are consumed in some parts of the world.
Cages of different species were piled on top of each other in the market and thousands of customers reportedly flocked to the shops, according to a Daily Mail correspondent in China.
In another market in Dongguan, southern China, bats, scorpions, and other creatures were advertised and offered for sale as traditional medicine.
There is one thing that has changed about these wet markets, however – there are now security guards who try to stop anyone from taking pictures.
Wuhan Partly Reopens
Wuhan, the only Chinese city under lockdown when pictures of these markets emerged, partly reopened on Saturday (28 March), with high-speed trains allowed to operate.
People are now allowed to enter but not leave, and many trains had been fully booked days in advance.
Crowds of passengers were reportedly seen arriving at Wuhan station on Saturday, most wheeling suitcases alongside them.
While it’s good news that infections in China have started to dwindle, it’s way too early to think things are back to normal, considering the number of global infections has skyrocketed.
And more than anything, wet markets like the ones above should not be allowed to operate ever again.
Can you imagine the uproar if yet another pandemic emerged from such a market?
Reader: I feel like we said this in 2003