Second pet quarantine facility opens in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s animal quarantine facility has been inundated with pets whose owners either have contracted Covid-19 or have had close contact. The sudden surge in cases within the city has overloaded the animal keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and meant the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (“AFCD”) had to open a second animal quarantine facility at Sha Tin.
There are currently 39 pets at the new facility, including dogs, cats, a rabbit, two chinchillas, and more than a dozen hamsters. Only two short haired cats have tested positive for the coronavirus after their owners were diagnosed. One has since recovered with the other feline still testing positive for the virus.
Professor Malik Peiris, a veteran virologist at the University of Hong Kong has described the reaction by Hong Kong to pets as “exemplary" and “the best way to handle this situation”, especially when compared with other countries that do not have any quarantine arrangements for pets.
Hong Kong has recorded five positive cases involving pets since February, two dogs and three cats, but Peiris has said that pets would not be a threat to humans as there is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans.
In the UK, a pet cat recently tested positive for the strain of coronavirus as the first confirmed case of infection in an animal. However, the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss has said: -
“This is a very rare event, with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and and recovering within a few days.”
An AFCD spokesperson said that there was no evidence that pets played a role in the spread of Covid-19 in humans, but owners should always maintain good hygiene by washing their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals, and under no circumstances abandon their pets.
Have you or someone you know had to place your pet in a quarantine facility due to Covid-19? We would like to know more about the options and process so please reach out and share your experience with us at info@hkalpo.com
Main resource: SCMP