Shenzhen, in southeastern China, will become the first city in the nation to ban eating cats and dogs if a draft regulation to restrict the consumption of wild animals is approved.

The National People’s Congress of China, issued an order to put tighter restrictions on the wildlife trade nationwide and to ban all consumption of wild animal meat. The measures are anticipated to be preserved in China’s wildlife protection law by the end of 2020.

The decision comes after Covid-19 outbreak, which is thought to have originated from wildlife sold at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei province.