Officials participate in an online session to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on pets and their owners.

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Police’s Security Inspection Unit K9 organised a remote panel session to discuss how to handle pet animals during the coronavirus pandemic. The online discussion took place under the directives of Major General Abdullah Ali Al Ghaithi, Director of the General Department of Organization Protective Security and Emergency at Dubai Police.

Brigadier Khabeer Khalil Al Bishri, Deputy Director of the General Department of Organization Protective Security and Emergency, participated in the online discussion, along with Major Salah Khalifa Al Mazroui, Director of Security Inspection Unit K9, Dr. Ulrich Wernery, Director of the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, and a number of specialists and veterinarians  from Presidential Guard, Ministry of Interior, Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Police, Sharjah Police, Dubai Municipality, and journalists.

Participants discussed methods of detecting coronavirus in animals, means of isolating those suspected to have the virus, and the necessary precautionary measures that must be taken to ensure the safety of animals and their owners.

During the discussion, Major Salah Al Mazroui stressed on the keenness of the Dubai Police to spread awareness about the effects of coronavirus and its relevance to animals, as well as provide the public with strategies to deal with infected animals.

In addition, he pointed out that 40 farms were established by Dubai Police to isolate K9 dogs suspected to have any kind of virus. The Security Inspection Unit K9 undergo a daily sterilization program, and K9 dogs’ trainers were also tested to ensure their safety and security.

For his part, Dr. Ulrich Wernery presented a detailed explanation about coronavirus, the history of its start in the Chinese city of Wuhan, its symptoms and its relation to pets.

He also reviewed mechanism of medical tests that are conducted on animals to know if they caught the virus or not.

Moreover, Dr. Wernery warned that cats are more exposed to catching the virus than dogs; pointing out that coronavirus can host animals’ body for a period of 8 to 10 days.

At the end of the dicusssion, Dr. Wernery pointed out the importance of keeping coronavirus patients away from animals, and urged people to take all safety measures to ensure their safety and the safety of their pets by continuous sterlisation of their surroundings.