Local pet stores selling hamsters in Hong Kong are now allowed to resume business, the government said on Saturday, following the order closure last week and the culling of thousands of small animals over coronavirus concern. “The pet shops must be thoroughly disinfected and cleaned, and environmental swabs taken from the shops must pass the virus test before they can resume business,” the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a statement. On Jan. 18, the government ordered 2,000 hamsters, chinchillas, rabbits, and other small animals to be “humanely” put down after a health check on the rodents found 11 carrying the Delta variant of the coronavirus. All the hamsters were imported from the Netherlands. Pet owners who bought hamsters from any store in Hong Kong beginning Dec. 22, 2021, were ordered to hand over their animals for culling, whilst those who visited the pet store after Jan. 7 …