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Coronavirus: govt suspends animal import from affected countries

The government has temporarily suspended importing live animals from the countries with confirmed cases of novel-coronavirus and bird flu.

The fisheries ministry on Wednesday said the World Organisation for Animal Health has informed that the novel coronavirus, that emerged from the capital city Wuhan of Hubei Province, China, can be traced back to an animal source. While it is confirmed that the virus is zoonotic, the pandemic is spreading at an alarming rate across China, and confirmed cases have been recorded in Asia, Europe and American continent, as well as Australia.

As a precautionary and control measure, WHO has recommended to be cautious when eating meat; not to eat raw meat, and to ensure that the meat is properly cooked, and to avoid contact with animals.

In this regard, as the first precautionary measure to be taken against the virus from the veterinary sector, the government suspended importing live animals from the countries affected with N-Cov 2019 and bird flu.