BENGALURU: With the spread of Novel Coronavirus, there seems to a scare among the population in the city and now recently with a WhatsApp message being circulated on chicken infected by coronavirus, many people have stopped buying and consuming chicken.
Some stall owners in the city said that the sale of chicken has dropped in the last two weeks after the message went viral. The message, which has a picture of the chicken, reads, “High alert: Chicken infected from Coronavirus found in Bangalore today, kindly circulate the message and avoid consumption of chicken. Spread the message to your dear ones.”
Salim Mohammad, an employee at Tender Chicken in Pulakeshinagar, said, “We have our own place where we grow chicken and butcher it, but people still have suspicion whether the chicken is affected by Coronavirus. Many people come and ask if its true that chicken too can get the virus. We deny it, but they still don’t buy the chicken virus.”
Zubair Ahmed, owner of BS Chicken Centre, said, “Our business has dropped in the last 20 days. I used to sell about 80-100 kg every day, but now only 50-60 kg gets sold. The price too has dropped from Rs 160-180 per kg to Rs 100 a kg.”
Tousif, the owner of HKGN Mutton and Chicken Stall, in Kaveri Nagar said, “The message has scared the people. Those who bought chicken earlier are now opting for the much costlier mutton which sells at Rs 600-700 per kg. The sales have dropped by 20 kg over the last one week.”
Docs ask people not to panic
Dr Sunil Kumar K, Consultant - Interventional Pulmonology, Aster CMI Hospital, said, “The virus spreading through native animals is a farfetched imagination. People here need not worry yet, as there is no evidence that animals like sheep, goat, chicken or even pigs are causing the virus. But people should ensure that the meat is cooked hygienically and is not raw, which is the best way to prevent any disease transmitted through animal meat.”