OREANDA-NEWS. Authorities in the South China province of Hainan are carrying out the Spring Thunder operation to stop the sale of meat and hunt wild animals, some of which may be a source of pneumonia, the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. This was announced on Wednesday by the Chinese information portal.

According to him, law enforcement agencies began the operation on January 22, more than 3.2 thousand police officers are involved in it. In two weeks, more than 1 thousand cars, more than 780 markets where prohibited products could be sold, and about 1.4 thousand tourist motels were inspected, 315 livestock farms were inspected.

As the Hainan administration noted, such measures are designed to minimize the risk of pneumonia. During regular inspections, 17 cases were opened, 10 people were detained, several pieces of firearms were seized. Earlier, Chinese experts said that the primary source of coronavirus in Hubei could be wild animals, in particular bats and snakes. In this regard, the Chinese government imposed severe restrictions, completely banning their sale and purchase.