Hong Kong to Kill About 2,000 Small Animals After Hamsters in Pet Store Test Positive for COVID-19

The city of Hong Kong has decided to put down 2,000 small animals because they were exposed to COVID-19 by hamsters.

There are currently more than 100,000 Coronavirus cases in China. In Hong Kong, specifically, there are more than 12,000 cases. Some of these recordings may be due to what may have been a small outbreak among animals in a Hong Kong pet store. The Associated Press reports that Hong Kong plans to kill about 2,000 animals after hamsters imported from the Netherlands tested positive for the virus.

In addition to the animals being laid to rest, hamsters are now banned from being sold in the city, and small animals will no longer be imported, say officials from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. CBS News reports that those who bought a hamster from the store after January 7 have to quarantine for a certain amount of time. And they don’t get to keep the hamster, as they have been ordered to hand it over for it be put down.

While the CDC says the transfer of COVID-19 from animals to humans is low, it can still be spread if humans and animals come into close contact with one another. Nevertheless, China isn’t taking any chances.

“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, according to the AP, CBS News reports.

Some of the animals that will be put down include chinchillas and hamsters. Officials say the animals will be put down in a humane way.