Calls for new COVID-19 pet quarantine measures

Care for livestock

In fact, anti-epidemic approaches concerning animals' interests have not only been introduced for pets, but also for livestock.

Early last year, Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei province, was hit by a resurgence of COVID-19, with more than 70 new infections reported within a month.

The outbreaks occurred in three villages, which posed challenges for epidemic control work. In response, all the residents were transferred to a designated place for quarantine, leaving a number of dogs and cats plus more than 30,000 livestock－including sheep, pigs, cattle, chickens and ducks－in the villages.

Although at risk of contracting the virus from infected people, the livestock were well cared for.

According to a report in Beijing Youth Daily, 18 epidemic control professionals were sent to the three villages, not only to take care of the livestock, which had run the risk of contracting the virus from the infected residents, but also to conduct nucleic acid tests on them. It was later reported that all the tests had returned negative results.

Subsequently, a three-strong team was tasked with taking care of cats and dogs in the villages.

"Such an approach to epidemic prevention concerning animal welfare brings people happiness. We can understand anti-epidemic staff workers who may resort to some improper behavior due to their responsibility to protect people, but we hope such an approach can be more animal friendly," commented cat owner Li Fang on Weibo, after she had read the story about Shijiazhuang.