Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warned that the city is on the verge of a “large-scale” coronavirus outbreak that could overwhelm hospitals, urging people to stay indoors as much as possible, as the Strict new measures to curb the spread of the disease have taken effect.
As of Wednesday, all residents of the densely populated city of 7.5 million must wear masks when they leave their homes, while restaurants can only serve takeout meals.
No more than two people from different households can meet in public with fines of up to HK $ 5,000 ($ 625) for those who violate the new rules, which mark the toughest introduction to the city since its outbreak began.
The government has also reinforced tests and quarantine agreements for air and maritime crew members.
The new rules, which will remain in place for at least seven days, came after a sudden surge in new infections. More than 1,000 cases have been confirmed since early July, more than 40 percent of the total since the virus first came to town in late January.
Residents practice social distancing when they line up early in the morning to get free COVID-19 coronavirus test kits delivered to a government clinic in the Kowloon-side Sham Shui Po district [Anthony Wallace/ AFP]
New daily cases have been over 100 for the past six days.
“We are on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which can lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially the elderly,” Lam said in a statement.
“In order to protect our loved ones, our health care staff, and Hong Kong, I ask that you strictly follow social distancing measures and stay home as far as possible.”
Proven success
Hong Kong was one of the first places affected by the coronavirus after being detected in mainland China earlier this year. Initially, the city was remarkably successful in controlling the outbreak, helped in part by a health-conscious public encompassing face masks and an efficient tracking and tracing program, forged in the deadly SARS virus fires in 2003.
By June, the local broadcast was almost over.
With the return of the virus, health officials have been struggling to discover the source of the outbreak.
Some have blamed the usual 14-day quarantine exemptions that the government granted to “essential personnel,” including cross-border truck drivers, air and sea crew, and some manufacturing executives.
Since then, the government has tightened restrictions on some of those groups, and announced plans to build a 2,000-bed temporary field hospital near the airport, something the Chinese authorities have offered to help with.
Since the end of January, more than 2,880 people have been infected in Hong Kong and 23 have died.
.
