Rumor 15: China reopened wildlife markets.

Fact: China doesn't have so-called wildlife markets. The country has banned the illegal hunting, trafficking and consumption of wildlife.

China's top legislature, the National People's Congress Standing Committee, imposed a full ban on illegal wildlife trade and eating wild animals on Feb 24, 2020. The World Wide Fund for Nature praised the move.

The reopened farmers' markets in Wuhan are for traditional produce, and sell vegetables, fruit, seafood and meat products. These places, like European seafood, fruit or vegetable markets, strictly follow the health regulations in China.

Rumor 16: Chinese people consume bat soup, causing the virus to jump from animals to humans.

Fact: Bats are absolutely not consumed by the Chinese, and there is so far no concrete evidence confirming the novel coronavirus comes from bats.

Chinese don't eat bats, and it is not considered food in China. The Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market, where the outbreak was first documented, didn't sell bats. This has been reported by a German rumor-busting website.

A video circulating online showing a Chinese female tour guide drinking bat soup was filmed in 2016. The video was recorded in Palau, a Pacific island, where the guide was trying out a local delicacy with her team for a travel program.