Hong Kong allows hamster pet stores to resume business after Covid cull

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Hong Kong's government has said that dozens of pet stores that sold hamsters may resume business after being shuttered last week and thousands culled over coronavirus fears, Reuters reports.

Authorities enraged pet lovers with an order to cull more than 2,200 hamsters after tracing an outbreak to a worker in a shop where 11 hamsters tested positive. Imported hamsters from Holland into the Chinese territory had been cited as the source. All hamster imports remain banned.

Five stores, including the "Little Boss" pet shop, which started the outbreak, remained shuttered as they had not yet "passed the virus test", the government said.

Read more here.

Officers in protective suits work inside a closed pet shop in Mong Kok district after a hamster cull was ordered to curb the coronavirus outbreak, in Hong Kong, China, January 19. — Reuters
Officers in protective suits work inside a closed pet shop in Mong Kok district after a hamster cull was ordered to curb the coronavirus outbreak, in Hong Kong, China, January 19. — Reuters

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