China’s “zero-Covid” strategy targets hamsters

Q: Authorities in Hong Kong are going to pet stores to round up hamsters for slaughter as part of China’s “zero-Covid policy. They also urged owners to turn in their pets, saying the rodents could carry the coronavirus and transmit it to humans. Where is China?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Since Covid-19 emerged in the city of Wuhan just over two years ago, China’s authoritarian rulers have imposed tough restrictions and strict lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus. About 2 million residents of Beijing were ordered Sunday to take Covid tests before what event in the capital city next week?

A. Communist Party Congress

B. Local elections

C. Lunar New Year

D. Winter Olympic Games

Q: While allowing their athletes to compete, the United States and other nations will not send government officials to the Beijing games to protest China’s treatment of . . .

A. Hong Kong

B. Tibetans

C. Uyghurs

D. All the above

Q: Hong Kong residents have mostly complied with the zero-Covid measures, but the last week’s hamster roundup caused some backlash, with many people taking in pets given up by their owners. Worries about coronavirus led to the mass slaughter of which type of animals in the first year of the pandemic?

A. Dogs

B. Mink

C. Pigs

D. Rabbits

Q: China’s tough zero-Covid policy has been successful in controlling the virus, with the world’s most populous nation reporting a very low death rate. Why do some health experts have doubts about how much longer it can continue?

A. Arrival of Omicron strain

B. Vaccine effectiveness

C. Cost of lockdowns

D. All the above


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