The epicenter of the epidemic is located in a market in Wuhan specializing in the wholesale of seafood and fish, now closed by the Chinese authorities for decontamination. - NOEL CELIS / AFP

China is barricading itself to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The government announced Sunday a temporary ban on the wildlife trade. The breeding, transport and sale of all wild species are prohibited "until the end of the national epidemic situation," says a directive issued by three high-level agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture.

The closed market, the city in quarantine

The virus, which has already killed 56 people and contaminated nearly 2,000 people, was located in December in a market in Wuhan (center of the country). Illegal sales of wild animals for consumption took place in this market. The site was closed at the end of December after the discovery of the first cases of virus from market traders.

The Sras epidemic, which had killed nearly 650 people in China in the 2000s, was part of the civet, a small mammal close to the marten that was commonly found in the markets of Canton (south). This Thursday, the Chinese authorities have placed in quarantine the entire metropolis of Wuhan as well as a large part of its province of Hubei.

World

Coronavirus: Chinese Premier visits Wuhan, epicenter of the virus

World

Coronavirus: French government studies contagion and evacuation

  • Virus
  • Health
  • Animals
  • Trade
  • World
  • China
  • epidemic
  • coronavirus
  • Prohibition