COVID-19: Cats and dogs to get free coronavirus tests in South Korea's capital
Dog owners have been warned to keep their pets two metres away from other people and animals.
Tuesday 9 February 2021 10:45, UK
Cats and dogs in South Korea's capital will be given free coronavirus tests if they show symptoms and have had contact with infected humans.
Officials in Seoul said animals that test positive must be quarantined at home for two weeks.
Only pets with symptoms, such as fever, coughing and breathing difficulties will be tested, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
"Please keep your dogs at least two metres away from people and other pets when walking them, and strictly follow antivirus measures, such as wearing masks and washing hands," said official Park Yoo-mi at an online news conference on Monday.
Other areas of the country are also planning pet testing schemes.
It comes after a kitten in the southern city of Jinju last month became the country's first animal confirmed with COVID-19.
It is thought to have caught the virus from a mother and daughter who were among dozens of infected people linked to a religious facility in the city.
Coronavirus may be able to pass from people to animals in some situations, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the risk of animals spreading it to humans is .
Nevertheless, some scientists have suggested it may be wise to vaccinate pets in the future to stop the spread of the virus.
In July, a pet cat became the first animal in the UK to test positive for COVID after its owners contracted the virus.
Denmark also culled millions of mink last year after it emerged that hundreds of cases were linked with the animals.
South Korea has fared comparatively well during the pandemic and on Monday recorded fewer than 300 new cases for the first time in more than two months.
There have been under 82,000 cases in total and fewer than 1,500 deaths in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University