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.
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. Rajouri was among the four districts of the Jammu region declared as ''green zone'' last week, while Shopian district was categorized as ''red zone'' along with 10 other districts spread over the valley and parts of the Jammu region.
Permission is needed for any type of movement from red to green or orange zones. Khan said the man was intercepted by police while he was coming on horse-back from Shopianto Thanamandi (Rajouri) on Monday night via the Mughal road – an alternate road connecting the valley with the rest of the country. The road is presently closed due to heavy snowfall during the winter. The man was subsequently taken to a medical screening centre while veterinary experts were roped in to get their views on the horse.