China sends message to not eat wild animals during Lunar New Year
Kerry Allen - BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media AnalystIt is now just under 24 hours until the Lunar New Year for people in China (12 February) and during this period it is common for people in the country to gather for family meals, or large banquet gatherings.
This year, China’s official People’s Daily newspaper is urging people not to eat wild animals during the holidays. It is sharing posters that show the silhouette of animals including snakes, hedgehogs and turtles, and telling people to avoid contact with them.
“Do not illegally hunt, trade or eat wild animals,” it says. The campaign, which uses the hashtag #DontEatWildAnimalsDuringSpringFestival, has so far been seen by more than 9.5 million people.
The posters have echoes of ones that circulated nationally last year at this time, back when the first coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan drew international attention. At the time, there was evident nervousness in the country about animal consumption being a possible reason for Covid-19.
In May, the original epicentre of the coronavirus, Wuhan, banned eating and hunting wild animals amid these fears. And over the last year, other regions have stepped up regulations to ban the consumption of animals.
In recent weeks, Chinese officials have also been updating “China’s law on animal epidemic prevention” to limit contact between animals and humans that could lead to disease. In late January, it became a requirement that pet owners keep their dogs on leads, [url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-55763212?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=600ae230424aad02ec84d676%26China updates dog-walking rules in epidemic prevention move%262021-01-22t16%3a13%3a11.954z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:60e03421-ec5e-47d2-b8cc-3fd7febb5172&pinned_post_asset_id=600ae230424aad02ec84d676&pinned_post_type=share]to prevent potential diseases such as rabies[/url].
Group drove 150 miles because they were 'bored of lockdown'
Three people who travelled 150 miles because they were "bored" of lockdown have been fined and had their car seized.Derbyshire Police said two men and a woman drove from London to Baslow, Derbyshire, on Monday afternoon.
After questioning the reason for their trip, officers also discovered the driver's Albanian driving licence had expired.
Police said all three were fined £200 for breaching Covid-19 rules.
For more on the lockdown rules in your area you can read our guide here.
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