Bats are sold again in China after declaring “victory” over the coronavirus

After two months of quarantine in China, and thousands of deaths from the Covid-19 outbreak, economic activities are returning to “normal”, like the sale of bat meat and exotic animals in traditional markets.

This is the same thing they did before the outbreak of the coronavirus that originated in the city of Wuhan in that country, apparently in one of those markets, and transformed in a few weeks into a global pandemic.

Everything back to “normal”

According to journalist George Knowles of the British Daily Mail, hygiene measures to prevent a new outbreak are conspicuous by their absence. He himself observed thousands of customers attending a market in Guillin, southwest China, on Friday.

Dogs and cats in rusty cages. Bats and scorpions offered for sale as traditional medicine. Rabbits and ducks slaughtered and skinned side by side on a stone floor covered with blood, dirt and animal remains, are some of the things you see again in the markets of China.

No hygiene standards to prevent a future outbreak

Those were the scenes when China celebrated its “victory” over the coronavirus by lifting the blockade, reopening markets, and encouraging people to return to normal daily life to fuel the declining economy, without any apparent attempt to raise hygiene standards to prevent a future outbreak.

At another meat market in Dongguan, southern China, another correspondent photographed a medicine seller returning to business on Thursday with a billboard advertising bats, believed to be the cause of Wuhan’s initial outbreak, along with scorpions and other creatures.

The Guilin market was packed with shoppers yesterday, offering fresh meat for dogs and cats, a traditional “warm” winter dish.

“The outbreak is over, there’s no need to worry”

“Everyone here believes the outbreak is over and there’s nothing to worry about anymore. It’s just a foreign problem now as far as they’re concerned,” said one of the China-based correspondents who captured the images.

The correspondent who visited Dongguan said: “The markets have returned to trading in exactly the same way as before the coronavirus.”

“The only difference is that the security guards are trying to prevent someone from taking pictures that would never have happened before.”

Despite the fact that a ban was imposed in China on consuming and breeding animals for sale, it is believed that it will be very difficult for people in China abide by this restriction, as it is a deeply rooted tradition.

On the other hand, the Beijing government is promoting conspiracy theories that the outbreak did not start in China at all. A discredited story, widely shared on China’s Weibo social media platform, claims that the coronavirus was first detected in Italy in November.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials have promoted unfounded conspiracy theories that the United States military brought the virus to their shores.

Los mercaditos de Wuhan, donde se supone que salió el coronavirus; empezaron a reabrir ayer. (Fuente: Reuters) Abrieron con precios cuidados y el kilo de murcielago (con hueso) para sopa esta a 1.50 Yuanes. pic.twitter.com/cXiHX14rNY

— Luis Zanger (@FastNy) March 29, 2020