Dr. Anthony Fauci believes China should be taking swift action to shut down all of its wet markets.
The infectious diseases expert appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Friday where he admitted that he finds it mind-boggling that China would even consider reopening wet markets given the extent of damage the coronavirus has caused.
While Fauci did not that he does not have the authority to call for the closure of wet markets, he does have an opinion. He believes China should shut down wet markets “right away.”
“It boggles my mind how we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface, that we don’t just shut it down,” Fauci said. “I don’t know what else has to happen to get us to appreciate that.”
Fauci is also encouraging other countries to express their concerns about unsanitary consumption and sale of exotic animals.
“There are certain countries in which this is very commonplace, I would like to see the rest of the world really lean with a lot of pressure on those countries that have that because what we’re going through right now is a direct result of that,” Fauci said.
Check out Fauci’s interview below:
Fauci’s interview follows reports about China’s plans to reopen wet markets now that the number of coronavirus cases has decreased. However, many expressed concerns about the dangers of doing so.
In fact, on Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.) penned a letter to the Chinese ambassadors urging him to ask the government to reconsider.
Just spoke with Dr. Fauci on a conference call about China's decision to reopen their wet markets.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 2, 2020
He emphatically stated this was a crazy decision by China which puts the world's health at risk.
Hope my Republican and Democratic Senate colleagues will sign onto my letter to the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. urging the immediate closure of these wet markets for the safety of the world at large.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 2, 2020
While the coronavirus origin remains a mystery, there has been speculation that the virus originated in bats and infected another animal that may have been purchased from a Wuhan wet market for consumption.
However, while it is not yet determined how the coronavirus was passed to humans, China’s wet markets have faced criticism over speculation of unsanitary conditions.
