Coronavirus: restrictions on pets

The Chinese authorities are implementing drastic safety measures to prevent the spreading of coronavirus : quarantine of more than 50 million inhabitants, campaigns to sanitize homes and disposal of stray animals.

Even though, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet confirmed that pets such as cats and dogs can potentially be contaminated by the virus, local authorities in Wuhan (the area of outbreak of the virus) are banning the inhabitants of the region from letting their pets on the loose. Memoranda ordering the killing of stray cats and dogs have been issued in several Chinese cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Wuhan, Shanxi and Shanghai.