New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS): In view of the spread of novel coronavirus in China and the World health organisation declaring it a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the state Home Department of Nagaland has directed the Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Nagaland and all Deputy Commissioners to issue orders to all village councils in their district to ban the hunting of wild animals in their areas.

The Directorate of Health and Family Welfare of Nagaland had earlier issued an advisory asking people to refrain from activities like hunting. As the available evidence on novel coronavirus and past coronavirus suggest that there may have been transmission of viruses from animals to humans, the advisory said that hunting increased chances of contact of wild animals and wild animal products with humans.

The department also sought a report of the action taken at the earliest.

The novel coronavirus is a new strain of viruses that had outbroken in Wuhan city of China and killed over a thousand people since December and spread across more than 20 countries outside of China.