Hong Kong will cull hundreds of hamsters after some tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said, as the city pushes to maintain its strict “zero-Covid” strategy.

The Chinese territory's staunch adherence to the mainland's “zero-Covid” policy has kept the number of cases low, but maintaining it has cut the finance hub off from the rest of the world for the last two years, AFP reports.

The decision to cull about 2,000 hamsters and other small animals comes after health officials recorded Covid cases at a Hong Kong pet shop.

Health secretary Sophia Chan said the move will protect public health after a pet shop employee and a customer handling hamsters tested positive.