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HONG KONG: Hong Kong tightened restrictions aimed at containing an increase in coronavirus cases on Monday (Nov. 30), limiting gatherings to no more than two people, closing karaoke rooms and game centers, and telling most of officials working from home.
The measures are in addition to restrictions announced Sunday that will see all schools close for in-person learning for the remainder of the year, also starting Dec. 2.
Game centers, karaoke rooms and swimming pools will be closed starting Wednesday and officials, excluding those providing emergency services, will stay home, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told reporters.
READ: Hong Kong to close bars and nightclubs for the third time as new COVID-19 cases jump
The Ocean Park and DisneyLand theme park will also close, said Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan.
“It will be very critical in the next two weeks,” Lam said. “I hope the people of Hong Kong can continue to be tolerant.”
Gyms and sports centers will remain open, but only for a maximum of two people at a time, while massage and beauty parlors will remain in operation, the government said.
The hours to dine at the restaurant will be reduced to 10:00 p.m. starting at midnight, with no more than two people per table. The ban on meetings will also be limited to two people, instead of four.
Bars in Hong Kong are already closed, but some are trying to circumvent the rules by placing plates and silverware with customers under the pretext that they are dining.
So far, the global financial center has managed to avert the widespread outbreak of the disease seen in many major cities around the world, although stop-and-go restrictions have caused frustration among some business owners and residents.
While gatherings of more than four people had been banned, larger groups of residents have been seen together across the territory, especially on weekends and holidays, although it is rare to see someone without a face mask.
Lam said there were 76 new cases on Monday, bringing the total in the city from 7.4 million to more than 6,300 since the epidemic began, with 109 deaths. Forty of the latest counts were related to dance clubs. The overall figure was less than Sunday’s nearly four-month high of 115.
Lam said fines for breaching the new rules could double to at least HK $ 4,000 (US $ 516).
The latest surge in cases has also led to the postponement for at least two weeks of a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore, which was due to launch on November 22.
READ: Postponement of the air travel bubble a joint decision of Singapore and Hong Kong: Chan Chun Sing
Having once had the highest COVID-19 rates in Southeast Asia, Singapore has virtually eradicated the virus and has the lowest death rate in the world with just 29 deaths.
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