Lambton's medical officer of health recommends cats and dogs also physically distance from one another as a pandemic precaution, just like humans.
Dr. Sudit Ranade told Sue Storr on CHOK (103.9 FM, 1070 AM) Friday the science surrounding pets and COVID-19 is not clear but it doesn't hurt to take precautions anyway.
"Every answer that we uncover about this virus raises new questions, that's just part of how science works," said Ranade. "So the answer that's been found is yes, certain pets like cats and dogs can carry the virus. But then the extra questions we don't know around that are, are they infectious? Can they infect other animals? Can they infect other people? How serious is this in these animals?"
Dr. Ranade said researchers are still investigating if household cats and dogs can be transmitters of the virus but the risk is considered to be "fairly low."
In the absence of scientific certainty, he suggests keeping pets away from other animals.
"While all those things are continuing to be investigated, the best practice here is consider your pet to be a part of your household." So, it is less advisable for your pet to encounter other pets. If you want to take your dog for a walk, take your dog for a walk. It's not as good an idea to take them to an off-leash place where they're just going to hang out with each other," he said.
A pug in North Carolina recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
-With files from Sue Storr