Liang Zhaohui also said that two batches of hamsters were imported into Hong Kong from other places on December 22 last year and January 7 this year. The AFCD strongly recommends that citizens who buy hamsters anywhere in Hong Kong on or after December 22 should hand over the hamsters to Hong Kong. To the Agriculture and Fisheries Department for “humane treatment”. The Center for Health Protection said that citizens who bought hamsters on or after December 22 were required to undergo mandatory testing, and if the hamsters they handed over tested positive for the new coronavirus, the owners would be subject to quarantine.
Liang Zhaohui said that both batches of hamsters were imported by air from the same public space in the Netherlands. The batch imported on December 22 involved 1,080 hamsters, while the batch on January 7 involved 838 hamsters. When asked if the humane destruction of hamsters is disrespectful to life, he said that since there are environmental samples and 11 hamster samples tested positive, for the sake of public health, humane destruction is a safer approach.