BERLIN — The German government said it plans to introduce an obligation that any cases of coronavirus in pets be reported to authorities. It also said the move is needed to assist research into the virus.
Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said Tuesday that the plan is for the move to be considered by parliament next month.
Kloeckner said that there will be no obligation for people to test their pets, but it would make sense to do so in certain situations – for example, if a cat living in a household with human coronavirus cases itself shows symptoms. She stressed there’s no evidence so far that pets can transmit COVID-19 to humans.
Germany has about 31 million pets and 83 million people. The head of the country’s animal disease research center said there has only been one known animal case there so far.