Hong Kong third wave: new pet quarantine facility to open after surge in Covid-19 among owners sees demand for services soar
- One household requires Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to take care of 13 hamsters
- New base will be in Sha Tin after facility at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was overloaded
Hong Kong’s animal quarantine facility has been flooded with pets whose owners either contracted Covid-19 or were close contacts, including from one household with 13 hamsters.
The increased demand amid a surge in the number of patients in the city has forced the government to identify a new quarantine site in Sha Tin for the animals, whose owners are isolated or in quarantine.
Of the 39 pets presently at the site, including dogs, cats, a rabbit, two chinchillas, and more than a dozen hamsters, only two short-haired cats tested positive for the coronavirus after their owners were diagnosed.
One has since recovered, while the other, which was admitted on July 21, is still positive for the virus.
After a three-month gap, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) began taking in pets again, and 45 have been sent to them since July 9, and only six have returned home.
During the past several weeks, Hong Kong has experienced a surge in Covid-19 infections, with more than 1,500 positive cases, pushing the total number to 2,884 as of Tuesday.