Pet owners in China make pets wear masks because Covid-19

According to WHO, there is no evidence that pets can get the coronavirus.

Sumita Thiagarajan | February 13, 2020, 12:10 PM

As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases around the world continues to increase, the death toll has risen and more people are put in hospital and under quarantine.

Precautionary measures, such as washing hands and wearing a mask when heading out, have become gospel.

Pets in China get special pet masks or DIY masks

Some pet owners in China, have gone a step further, as they are worried about their pet's health, given that the coronavirus transmission has crossed the animal-human boundary.

In an effort to protect their pets, the furry ones have been spotted with masks on their faces or snouts.

One popular post is of a cat in China spotted with a surgical mask on the cat's face and cutouts for the eyes.

https://twitter.com/Cobeh09/status/1227013657290108928

A Twitter user was even inspired by the photo of the cat in the mask and decided to make a tiny figurine of the cat.

On Weibo, an owner featured her two dogs wearing special dog masks.

Photo from Weibo

According to Daily Mail, an online seller in Beijing, Zhou Tianzhou, pet owners have been flocking to his online store to buy masks for their pets.

Zhou told Daily Mail that he used to gets orders for 150 masks per month.

Currently, he gets orders for 50 masks in a day.

Local vet group advises against putting surgical masks on pets

Singapore veterinary group, Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group, has advised against putting on surgical masks on pets and shared the World Health Organisation's (WHO) advisory.

According to WHO, there is no evidence that pets can be infected by the coronavirus.

They advise that the best way to protect you and your pets is to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with animals.

Top photos via Weibo and Twitter