HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong will impose new stringent social distancing measures since midnight Tuesday, the strictest in the Asian financial center since the coronavirus broke out, as authorities warn that the risk of a large-scale outbreak is extremely high.
Passengers wear surgical masks on an MTR train after the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Hong Kong, China, July 13, 2020. REUTERS / Tyrone Siu
The measures dictate that face masks will be mandatory for people using public transportation, and restaurants will no longer offer dinner services and only offer takeout after 6pm.
Both are new rules that were not implemented during the city’s first and second coronavirus waves earlier this year. If a person does not wear a mask on public transportation, they face a fine of HK $ 5,000 ($ 645).
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Monday the government would limit group meetings to four people out of 50, a move last seen during a second wave in March.
Twelve types of establishments, including gyms and entertainment venues, are to be closed for one week.
“The recent appearance of local cases of unknown source of infection indicates the existence of sustained silent transmission in the community,” the government said in a statement Monday night.
The Chinese-ruled city registered 52 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, including 41 that were transmitted locally, health authorities said. Since the end of January, Hong Kong has reported 1,522 cases, and local media reported an eighth death on Monday.
The government said it was very concerned about the large number of imported cases and that it planned to impose additional measures on travelers to high-risk locations, including obtaining mandatory negative results prior to arrival.
Lam said the measures were the result of a three-way tug-of-war between public health, economic impact and social acceptability considerations and that the city may need to coexist with the virus for a period of time.
More than 13.02 million people were reported to be infected with the new coronavirus worldwide and 569,336 died, according to a Reuters count.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
Written by Farah Master; Editing by Michael Perry
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