Paul McCartney has called on China to close the country’s wet markets, linking them to “medieval practices” that have the same effect on the world as “letting off atomic bombs”. The former Beatle called US radio host Howard Stern this week from Sussex, England, to give an update on his well-being during the coronavirus pandemic. McCartney explained that he was “locked down” with his daughter Mary and her family, saying “the only bad” thing about being quarantined there was that his wife, Nancy, was in New York. “Can you believe what’s going on? Did you ever think in your lifetime you’d see something like this?” Stern asked McCartney. “It’s so crazy,” McCartney said. “We’ve seen various forms of crisis before, but nothing that’s affecting everyone in the world at the same time. It’s scary.” The two discussed the wet markets in China that sell fresh vegetables, meat and fish, which some have blamed for the global health crisis. “I really hope that this will mean that the Chinese government will say, ‘OK, guys, we have really got to get super hygienic around here’. Let’s face it, it is a little bit medieval eating bats,” said McCartney, a long-time animal-rights activist. (Most wet markets in China do not sell wild animals like bats, though some, like the market in Wuhan linked to the coronavirus outbreak, have wild animal sections). Stern said it was “mind-boggling” that the Chinese government hadn’t shut the markets. In February, China banned the trade in and consumption of wildlife, but allowed the continued use of wildlife for traditional Chinese medicine. McCartney then suggested that celebrities speak out in support of shuttering them. “It’s not a stupid idea, it is a very good idea,” McCartney said. “They don’t need all the people dying. And what’s it for? For these medieval practices. They just need to clean up their act. This may lead to it. If this doesn’t, I don’t know what will. “They might as well be letting off atomic bombs, because this is affecting the whole world,” he added. “Whoever is responsible for this is at war with the world and itself.” Although he recognised that closing the markets could be challenging since they had existed for a long time, he said: “They did slavery forever too. You’ve got to change things at some point.” Earlier in the show, the musician told Stern that the collective spirit he had seen across the world reminded him of the era after World War II. “A lot of people are pulling together, and in a way it’s a great thing because if we don’t, we’re finished. It is good to see that. It’s inspiring,” McCartney said. “People are realising that there’s so much good in humanity, and thank God it seems to be showing itself. There’s a lot of good spirit, and I’m seeing it here in England.”