Strict lines drawn on eating wildlife

Wildlife that is not considered a conventional source of meat has been banned from being eaten, including creatures raised on farms. But they can be used for "non-edible purposes," mainland authorities said.

Common livestock and poultry including pigs, cattle, goats, chicken, ducks and geese can be traded and eaten. So can fish from the sea.

The ban that takes effect immediately was rolled out by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Monday.

Also prohibited are hunting, trading and transportation of wild animals for consumption.

But creatures that have been farm-raised for a long time such as pigeons and rabbits are also excluded from the ban.

The coronavirus was first found at a seafood market in Wuhan that sold wild animals illegally. And the Hubei provincial city soon was the epicenter of the Covid-19 virus with by far the most cases and deaths.

The precise source of the virus has still to be confirmed, with scientists speculating it came from bats, pangolins or other wild animals before passing to humans. Under special circumstances wild creatures can be used for purposes such as for scientific research.

The virus had infected close to 78,000 people in the mainland by Monday and killed nearly 2,700.

There were 508 more confirmed cases, including 499 in Hubei, while 71 more deaths were counted, with 68 in Hubei.

New cases outside Hubei dropped to nine on Monday - the first time a single-digit increase has been recorded since the outbreak started.

And yesterday the Hubei government announced the launch of an aid service for non-locals stuck in the province. They can report needs via the government's website, APP, and on the hotline 12345. Mainland authorities also stressed there will be various strategies yo prevent and control the coronavirus.

Measures should be taken based on different conditions in regions, said Ouyang Li, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission.

Based on the severity of the epidemic, places outside Hubei and Beijing have been divided into three categories: low-risk areas, medium-risk areas and high-risk areas.

In Shandong province, the Weihai Aviation Administration yesterday quarantined all 167 passengers of Jeju Airlines flight 7C8501 from Incheon, South Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency.

This was the first time mainland authorities have quarantined travelers entering from South Korea on such a scale.

The majority of the 144 passengers are Chinese, but there are also 19 South Koreans and four people from other countries.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen will donate 100,000 masks to Hong Kong every day via the Liaison Office, and a first batch of a million masks has already been delivered.

charlotte.luo@singtaonewscorp.com