BJP MP Maneka Gandhi on Friday declared that the novel coronavirus cannot affect animals nor be transmitted through them. She claimed that some government agencies, insurance firms and private companies had released "fake" advertisements about animals spreading the coronavirus.
Maneka Gandhi has been an environmentalist and animal rights campaigner for several decades. Maneka was quoted by news agency ANI as saying, “It has been brought to my notice by hundred of complaints... government departments and insurance companies are creating panic regarding the coronavirus by taking out advisories which they have not confirmed with the health department, saying that nobody should go near live animals. This is completely wrong and misleading."
Maneka argued, “The health department of this country has clearly said that animals do not have coronavirus and cannot transmit coronavirus. So, I would advise that ministry of electronics, insurance companies, ministry of railways, not to bring out fake ads, saying that do not go near live animals. This is going to create another form of crisis in India.”
The prices of poultry products have dropped across the country over the past week, given worries about them causing coronavirus; cases of bird flu have also been reported in some places.
On Friday, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu asked the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to release an advisory to to allay the concerns of people on consumption of chicken and eggs in the wake of fears about the impact of coronavirus on the poultry industry.
A delegation of poultry breeders had told Naidu that "false news" had triggered panic among people and resulted in a massive reduction in consumption of poultry products. Noting that millions of farmers were dependent on the poultry sector, especially in rural India, Naidu said the sector had a key role in creating secondary income for farmers, apart from providing nutritional security to people.