Sri Lankan lawmaker bites raw fish to bolster slumping sales

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A lawmaker in Sri Lanka bit into a raw fish during a news conference to encourage residents to buy fish and help bolster the slumping industry.

Dilip Wedaarachchi, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as the country's fisheries minister, said during his news conference that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a slump in Sri Lanka's fish industry, a major source of the country's revenue.

Wedaarachchi said fish sales took a large hit when a coronavirus outbreak was traced to the Central Fish Marker in Colombo, the country's commercial capital.

"I am making an appeal to the people of this country to eat this fish. Don't be afraid. The coronavirus will not infect you," the lawmaker said, before taking a bite out of a raw fish.