In a probable first, a horse put under home quarantine in Jammu-Kashmir for fear of COVID-19

Rajouri district authorities have sent a horse to home quarantine for a period of four weeks after the horse along with its owner returned from Shopian, a red zone.

Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir):In a rare occurrence, a horse which returned to Rajouri from Shopian during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, along with its owner, has been put under home quarantine, while its owner has been put under administrative quarantine by the authorities.

Tehsildar Anjum Khan said that the horse and its owner were put in quarantine because they had returned from Shopian, a red zone.

"We got the information in the night that they had returned from Shopian, which is a red zone, so we had to take the man into administrative quarantine. We then faced the issue of where to keep the horse. Our team of animal husbandry then arrived and carried out an investigation of the animal. We have sent the samples of the owner for testing and the horse will be put under home quarantine at least till the owner's result comes," Khan told media here.

"We have given strict instructions to the family to keep the horse away from humans, and other animals in the household," he added.

Dr Imtiaz Anjum, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Animal Husbandry Department, Thana Mandi, told media that the equine is asymptomatic and is being administered antibiotics.

"People fear that horses can infect humans but that is equine coronavirus - different from COVID-19, which will not transmit. The horse was asymptomatic and is in home quarantine for 28 days. It can turn out to be positive only if the owner is positive. We are giving it antibiotics," Anjum said.

As of Wednesday morning, Jammu and Kashmir had recorded 1,759 COVID-19 cases, out of which 833 patients had been cured and discharged.

ANI

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