Srinagar, May 27: A horse that returned from a red zone area in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian has been placed under home quarantine. The owner of the horse is in administrative quarantine and his coronavirus test results were awaited, news agency ANI reported. The animal will remain in home quarantine for 28 days and is being given anti-biotics, said Imtiaz Anjum from the animal husbandry department. Dead Bats Create Panic in Gorakhpur's Belghat Area in UP.

The horse is under home quarantine in Rajouri. "It is a red zone so we had to quarantine the man. The horse is under home quarantine at least till owner's result comes," tehsildar told ANI. "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're giving it antibiotics," Imtiaz Anjum said. He also dispelled the rumour that horses can spread coronavirus (COVID-19). Can Pet Cats and Dogs Get Coronavirus From Humans? Here’s Everything You Should Know About Human to Animal Transmission of COVID-19.

"People fear that horses can infect humans but that is equine coronavirus, which is different from COVID-19," Anjum said. Here it may be noted that SARS-COV-2 of the coronavirus family causes COVID-19, while equine coronavirus is caused by ECoV of the coronavirus family. ECoV and COVID-19 are both coronaviruses but are distinctly different viruses. There is no evidence to suggest that horses could contract COVID-19 or spread it to humans.

Horse Under Home Quarantine in Rajouri:

Equine coronavirus is transmitted between horses when manure from an infected horse is ingested by another horse (faecal-oral transmission), or if a horse makes oral contact with items or surfaces that have been contaminated with infected manure.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2020 04:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).