Local pet stores selling hamsters in Hong Kong are now allowed to resume business, the government said on Saturday, following an order to close and the culling of thousands of small animals over concerns they could be carrying the coronavirus. “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 Hong Kong 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, while those who visited …