A woman wearing a face mask out walking her dog in Wuhan (Picture: Getty Images)

Chinese residents have reportedly been warned to get rid of their pets or face having them culled over concerns they could contract coronavirus.

Local authorities across a number of provinces have supposedly taken the drastic step after coming under pressure from higher-ups to do more to tackle the epidemic.

Villagers in Hubei were urged to ‘deal with’ furry companions within five days, while residents in Shanxi were handed notices asking them to ‘consider the overall situation’ and dispose of cats and dogs immediately.

China’s top infectious diseases expert warned pets would need to be quarantined if exposed to patients, but the World Health Organisation claims it has seen no evidence animals can catch it.


Chinese residents have reportedly been warned to get rid of pets or face having them culled (Picture: Shutterstock)

One neighbourhood in Wuhan – the epicentre of the virus which has so far killed 259 and infected around 12,000 – residents have reportedly been banned from letting animals leave their homes.



They have also been warned by officials that any spotted outside would be caught, killed and buried on the spot.

Animal welfare group Humane Society International (HSI) claim similar warnings have been issued in other provinces across the country, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Hebei and Shanghai.

Dr Peter Li, China Policy Specialist at HIS, told MailOnline: ‘This is not the right approach for local authorities in China to deal with the national crisis that can be traced to China’s out-of-control wildlife trade.

‘Companion animals did not contribute to the outbreak of SARS in 2002-2003. They do not have anything to do with the Wuhan epidemic.’

He added that trying to enforce such orders might actually hamper the fight against the outbreak by ‘pulling much needed efforts and resources away from the real battleground’.

Sales for dog-sized face masks are said to have skyrocketed since the outbreak

Earlier this week Professor Li Lanjuan, a senior expert in China’s National Health Commission, issued a warning that coronavirus ‘spreads between mammals’.

She told state broadcaster CCTV that ‘pet owners should strengthen their management of their pets’ and advised animals ‘should be put in quarantine’ if they come into contact with anyone infected.

An online vendor based in Beijing told MailOnline sales for special face masks for dogs had skyrocketed ten-fold since the outbreak.

Experts have confirmed it started at a wholesale market in Wuhan, with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention saying tests humans caught it from animals being offered sale.

It is still unclear which animal carried the virus, but the market was home to stalls selling processed meat alongside live consumable animals including koalas, camels and reptiles.

What is the coronavirus and where did it start? Coronaviruses are a family of diseases which include the common cold and the virus which caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which originated in China in 2002 and killed nearly 800 people around the world. The virus causing concern now is a new strain which has made the jump from animals to people, named Covid-19. It causes fever and a cough and can make it hard for people to breathe, causing viral pneumonia in severe cases. Over 2,700 people worldwide have now died after contracting the illness. How does it affect the lungs? What are the symptoms of the virus? The virus is more likely to progress into a severe illness or prove fatal among older patients or those with weakened immune systems. As it is a viral illness, antibiotics will not help and there is no known cure or vaccine. A scan shows the lungs of a patient with coronavirus (Picture: Reuters) To avoid the illness, take usual hygiene precautions, such as using a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes, and making sure to wash your hands. Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth after touching things like poles on public transport and avoid close contact with people suffering an acute respiratory infection. You should also avoid unprotected contact with wild or farm animals. So far, 13 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK. Hundreds have been tested for it here, with most of the tests coming back negative. How many people in the UK have it? Is Coronavirus in the UK? Where is Wuhan in China, where coronavirus started? The virus originated in the city of Wuhan in China, where it is believed to have made the jump from animals to people at a seafood market. Wuhan is the capital of China’s Hubei province, a landlocked province in central China. It is built along the Yangtze river, and is around 500 miles west of Shanghai and 690 miles north of Hong Kong. It is the largest and most populous city in central China, although estimates over its population vary.