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Comment by capableweb | Hacker News Reader

I live in Spain. Yesterday I saw a group of five people standing together in the dog park, about 2 meters apart from each other. Good thing they are practicing social distancing, but their dogs were still playing with each other. We're indeed being laughed at, and rightfully so. Many people are not taking the lock down serious here.

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There is no evidence that dogs can spread coronavirus to humans.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/animals.ht...

Surely they can't be infected but I know that when I get sick, I have a lot close contact with my dogs, which includes that they sometimes get saliva on them (sleeping on them and drooling and/or coughing near them), which means their fur would carry the virus.

Virus stays on surfaces for some time.

Dogs have surfaces.

So what happens if I have covid19, I pet or hug a dog, and five minutes later someone else touches it? The virus suddenly disappears across the entire dog's surface?

Now I agree with your general sentiment but can't help but feel the unhelpful tone in your finishing question. We might as well do without that. You can frame your messages to be less hostile without loosing the meaning of what you want to write.

Yes there is evidence. From Pro-Med Mail:

A second PCR-positive dog, Hong Kong

https://promedmail.org/promed-post/?id=7112693

Apparently it was a very old dog though.

Published Date: 2020-03-19 15:56:45 Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (45): China (Hong Kong) animal, dog, 2nd case PCR positive Archive Number: 20200319.7112693

Not sure if you missed the "dogs can spread coronavirus to humans" part but the source you linked finishes with this:

> The spokesman emphasised [SIC] that there is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of COVID-19 for humans or that this virus can cause the disease in dogs

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