Hong Kong to quarantine pets of Covid-19 patients

Hong Kong to quarantine pets of Covid-19 patients

Candice Wong reports

Hong Kong health officials announced on Friday that cats, dogs and other mammals belonging to coronavirus patients will be put into quarantine for 14 days from now on, after a dog in the territory tested "weak positive" for the virus.



That dog, and another from North Point, were already in isolation, the Centre For Health Protection said at its daily briefing.



Further tests were being carried out on the second dog, while a cat, whose owner lives in Sha Tin, had already been given the all-clear.



Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the centre said while there's no definitive proof that the first dog had caught the virus from its owner, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will start testing and quarantining pets of all infected patients as a precaution.



"If the infected case has a pet, we will ask the owner to allow the pet to be taken care of by the AFCD, so that they can be quarantined and tested."



Separately, the Hospital Authority announced that it would start testing people under 18 for the coronavirus if they seek treatment at government clinics and public hospitals.



A programme was launched earlier this month where patients with even mild symptoms are given a container to take home so they can deliver a saliva sample back to the authorities for testing the next day. But previously, only adult patients were checked.



Hong Kong on Friday recorded one new confirmed case of Covid-19, involving a 61-year-old woman who had been in quarantine after returning from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. That infection brought the SAR's total number of confirmed cases to 94.