The Daily Star's FREE newsletter is spectacular! Sign up today for the best stories straight to your inbox Sign up today! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

In a desperate attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus, some Chinese pet owners have been warned to "deal with" their cats and dogs - or government officials could have them exterminated.

It comes days after one of China's top infectious disease experts said the deadly virus could spread from animals to humans.

"If your dogs run around outside and come to contact with the outbreak or people infected with the virus, then your pets should also be put in quarantine," Professor Li Lanjuan from China's National Health Commission told the state broadcaster on Wednesday.

"Because the epidemic spreads between mammals, therefore we should take precaution against other mammals."

Her words reportedly sparked panic across multiple provinces and cities, with local authorities posting flyers forbidding residents from letting cats, dogs or livestock out of their homes.

One such flyer in Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus, warned that any animals seen outdoors would be caught, killed and buried on the spot, reports Mail Online.

In a village in Hebei, several hours north of Wuhan, residents were reportedly ordered to "deal with" their pets within five days or officials would "handle" them.

At a residential complex in Shanghai, documents were distributed forbidding people to feed stray animals in order to "enforce the control and prevention of the epidemic".

(Image: Zhou Tianxiao)

Mail Online reports similar orders have been given in Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Heilongjiang, and Shanxi, according to animal welfare organisation Humane Society International.

Sales of face masks for pets have skyrocketed since the virus broke out in early January, with one Beijing-based online retailer claiming he's gone from selling 150 dog masks a month to at least 50 a day.

The World Health Organisation, which declared coronavirus a global health emergency on Friday, has said there's no evidence the virus has been transmitted to domestic animals.

(Image: Zhou Tianxiao)

Dr Peter J. Li, Humane Society International's China policy specialist, has condemned the memos circulating in China ordering that cats and dogs be killed in the interests of public health.

"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," he told Mail Online.

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

Coronavirus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in the city of Wuhan.

The rapid spread of the virus, which has killed at least 250 people so far, has highlighted poor health and safety standards in some Chinese markets where wild animals, both dead and alive, are often unhygienically stored and sold.