Pets should be in your bubble too.
Coronavirus: Kiwis need to keep their pets in lockdown bubble too
Steven Walton
05:25, Mar 26 2020
Pets need to be kept in the family bubble during New Zealand's lockdown, too, an infectious disease expert says.
"Whatever your bubble is for the month, this is the bubble you must maintain,"
Professor David Hayman, an infectious disease ecology expert at Massey University's veterinary science school, said pets had to follow this too – and he urged people to treat their pets "as if it's someone you do care for and love".
"If I cough on my hands, stroke a dog's head, and then a kid comes along, strokes the dog's head, and then touches their face ... that's a way of transferring infection."
The lockdown was not a reason for people to stop walking their dogs or riding their horses, he said, but contact with others should be limited.
Hayman encouraged people with cats to keep them inside, as they tend to roam.
People should be conscious of contact with their own pet too, he said. Hands are fine if washed, but faces should be kept apart because the virus can enter through the nose and mouth.
Dr Helen Beattie, chief veterinary officer for the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA), agreed pets had to be kept in the family bubble.
It's a good practice at this point to consider your household is your life and your world."
She encouraged people to use pets as "a source of comfort".
"I've heard a lot of stories about a lot of animals are very happy to have a whole bunch of people at home in their life rather than heading off to work everyday".
Beattie said for people who had recently returned from overseas or had been in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case, it would "make some sense" to reduce contact with pets.
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