Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday that they will
kill about 2,000 small animals, including hamsters, after several
tested positive for the coronavirus at a pet store where an employee was
also infected.
The city will also stop the sale of hamsters and the import of small
mammals, according to officials from the Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department. The pet shop employee tested positive for the
delta variant on Monday, and several hamsters imported from the
Netherlands at the store tested positive as well.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
animals do not appear to play a significant role in spreading the
coronavirus. But Hong Kong authorities said they are not ruling out
transmission between animals and humans.
“We cannot exclude the possibility that the shopkeeper was in fact
actually infected from the hamsters,” said Edwin Tsui, a controller at
the Centre for Health Protection.
“If you own a hamster, you should keep your hamsters at home, do not
take them out," department director Leung Siu-fai said at a news
conference. “All pet owners should observe good personal hygiene, and
after you have been in contact with animals and their food, you should
wash your hands."
“Do not kiss your pets,” he added.
As a precautionary measure, customers who purchased hamsters from the
store after Jan. 7 will be traced and be subject to mandatory
quarantine and must hand over their hamsters to authorities to be put
down, officials said.
They said all pet stores in Hong Kong must stop selling hamsters and
that about 2,000 small mammals, including hamsters and chinchillas, will
be killed in a humane manner.
Customers who bought hamsters in Hong Kong from Dec. 22 will be
subject to mandatory testing and are urged not contact others until
their tests have returned negative. If their hamsters test positive,
they will be subject to quarantine.
Hong Kong has been grappling with a local omicron outbreak traced to
several Cathay Pacific crew members who dined at bars and restaurants
across the city before testing positive for the omicron variant.
The government announced late Monday that two former flight
attendants have been arrested for leaving their homes during quarantine
and later being confirmed to have coronavirus infections. It did not
identify their employer, but said the two arrived from the U.S. on Dec.
24 and 25 and “conducted unnecessary activities” while under medical
surveillance.
The arrests came after Cathay Pacific said it had fired two crew
members for breaching coronavirus protocols. It previously apologized
and called their actions “extremely disappointing.” The company had to
cut back on flights — both passenger and cargo — in January because of
tightened virus curbs.
The two have been released on bail and will have their case heard in
court on Feb. 9. If convicted of violating anti-epidemic regulations,
they could face up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to 5,000
Hong Kong dollars ($642).
Previously in Hong Kong, some air and sea crew members could isolate
at home under quarantine exemptions. Regulations were tightened on Dec.
31 to require crew members to isolate in a designated quarantine hotel
for about a week.
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