Hong Kong kills 2,000 animals after hamster hires COVID | Coronavirus pandemic News

Hong Kong authorities say they do not rule out animal-to-human transmission.

Hong Kong authorities say about 2,000 small animals, including hamsters, will be killed after several workers tested positive for coronavirus, while one worker was also infected at a pet store.

The council will also stop the sale of hamsters and the importation of small mammals, according to officials from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation. The staff at the pet store tested positive Delta variant on Monday, and the store also provided several positive hamsters imported from the Netherlands.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the animals have not had much of a role in the spread of coronavirus. But Hong Kong officials say they do not rule out animal-to-human transmission.

“We can’t rule out the possibility that the shopkeeper may actually be infected with hamsters,” Health Protection Center driver Edwin Tsui said Tuesday.

“If you own a hamster, you need to keep your hamsters at home, not take them out,” department director Leung Siu-fai said at a news conference.

“All pet owners must respect good personal hygiene, and after being in contact with animals and their food, you must wash your hands.”

“Don’t kiss your pets,” he added.

As a precautionary measure, customers who bought hamsters in the store from January 7 will be apprehended and will be subject to mandatory quarantine and will have to hand over the hamsters to the authorities for cancellation, officials said.

They said all Hong Kong pet stores should stop selling hamsters and that about 2,000 small mammals, including hamsters and chinchillas, would die humanely.

Customers who bought hamsters in Hong Kong from December 22 will be subjected to mandatory tests and will be required not to contact others until the tests are negative. If their hamsters test positive, they will be subject to quarantine.

The Hong Kong Animal Cruelty Prevention Association said it was “surprised and concerned” by the decision to kill the animals, and called on the government “not to take any drastic measures before reviewing its approach.”

He has been fighting with a native of Hong Kong The appearance of Omikron He followed up with several members of the Cathay Pacific crew who dined at bars and restaurants in the city before the positive variant.