Hong Kong lifts its controversial hamster ban that made the furry animals a public enemy as a result of COVID

Hong Kong lifts its controversial hamster ban that made the furry animals a public enemy as a result of COVID

Hong Kong will elevate a ban on importing hamsters on the market across the center of this month, a yr after the town ordered a culling of the furry mammals and shut down all pet outlets promoting them to get rid of the Covid-19 virus. 

Imported hamsters will nonetheless want to check unfavorable for Covid earlier than they’re made accessible on the market, as a result of research discovered that they’re vulnerable to the virus and will simply unfold to people, a spokesman for the town’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Division stated in an emailed assertion. 

Town banned the importation of all small mammals for industrial functions in January final yr after practically a dozen hamsters imported from the Netherlands and offered at a neighborhood pet retailer have been discovered to be contaminated with delta, a virulent Covid-19 variant that hadn’t been detected within the metropolis for months till a employee there examined optimistic. Officers ordered a culling of hundreds of the pets. By Might, the federal government had resumed importation of all small mammals apart from hamsters given the dangers. 

Hong Kong has been dismantling its Covid Zero insurance policies for months, together with scrapping resort quarantine, lifting restrictions on new arrivals going to bars or eating places, and eradicating PCR exams for vacationers after they arrive within the metropolis. The monetary hub has stated it plans to maintain its masks mandate, citing issues in regards to the pressure being placed on health-care system from each Covid and influenza.

In current weeks, China has additionally been quickly shifting away from its zero tolerance to the virus after three years of isolation from the remainder of the world. The nation will reopen to the world and scrap quarantine for arrivals from Jan. 8 because it seeks to spice up its flagging economic system. Hong Kong, whose border with mainland China has been successfully shut since early 2020, can also be pursuing a resumption of quarantine-free journey with the mainland on Jan. 8. 

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