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South China morning post
Hong Kong fourth wave: police investigate where Covid-19 patient escaped for 54 hours on the run, while city confirms 85 new Covid-19 cases
The Hong Kong coronavirus patient who escaped from a public hospital only to be located days later refused to tell police where he went during the 54 hours he was on the loose, leading officers to suspect that he visited brothels or others. vice establishments. began investigating that possibility on Monday, the city registering 85 new Covid-19 infections, a third of them from unknown local origins. A police source said the 63-year-old patient Li Wan-keung had not cooperated since he was discovered in Mong Kok and returned to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Sunday night after his escape on Friday. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on great stories originating from China. The source said the force was investigating whether Li had frequented vice establishments in Mong Kok, where he lived, and noted that there were many in the area. “We will review the footage from security cameras in stores, dashboard cameras and buildings to find out where he had been during the period he was missing,” the source said Monday. Li was expected to be discharged from the hospital on January 18 and then he will be formally arrested, another police source said, adding that the force will seek legal advice before deciding whether the man would be prosecuted. In Hong Kong, it is illegal for anyone who is quarantined or isolated in a The crime is punishable by a fine of HK $ 5,000 (US $ 645) and two months in prison. The Hospital Authority said in a briefing on Monday that it had asked the city’s public hospitals to review their security measures after Li’s escape. Please stay in the isolation room, and we have arranged security guards outside to prevent the escape again, “said the chief manager of Cal ity and standards of the Hospital Authority, Dr. Lau Ka-hin, in a briefing on Monday. “The Hospital Authority has asked all hospitals that have patients in their isolation rooms to review the security measures in place and assess the risk of patients [escaping]. “The search for the Covid-19 patient continues as hospital security lapses leave officials red-faced Health authorities will also follow up to see if anyone who had been in contact with Li needed to be quarantined, and a police source said the force had also initiated contact. Li was captured after being seen in Mong Kok around 10:52 p.m. on Sunday, police said. Within minutes, officers from the Emergency Unit, dressed wearing protective gear, they located him at the intersection of Shanghai and Changsha streets, less than 200 meters from where he was first seen. “After confirming his identity, he was ordered to remain at the scene. and the area was cordoned off. while waiting for instructions from the Department of Health on where it should be sent, ”said the source. The authority had previously said that it would seek to improve security measures, since there was no support No guards were out of the pavilion and the security cameras were not recording at the time. Before Li escaped on Friday, he had made a failed attempt to leave the room the day before. He was a close contact from another Covid-19 case, and was admitted on Monday after it was confirmed to be positive. The authority said Li had had to convince him a bit from medical staff before cooperating with the treatments and tests, but had otherwise not shown any abnormal behavior before fleeing. about his first escape offer, but health officials suggested that he had been successful the second time because he had “moved too fast” while workers were busy, walking down the stairs and disappearing for the next 54 hours. Meanwhile, of the 85 new Covid-19 cases confirmed on Monday, 78 were transmitted locally, including 27 from untraceable sources. Seven infections were imported. The youngest new patient was just one year old, while the oldest was 89. About 50 preliminary positive infections were also recorded and awaiting confirmation. The latest cases brought the city’s confirmed coronavirus infection count to 8,237, with 131 related deaths. on Monday he ordered everyone living in three buildings to be tested after several residents of each were confirmed infected. The buildings are Shek Wing House on the Shek Lai Estate, in Kwai Tsing; Yau Lai House of Yau Lai Estate, in Yau Tong; and Block A of the Ming Wah Building in Shau Kei Wan. Officials will also distribute test bottles at Lei Yue Mun Estate’s Lei Sang House and the Tak Tai Building in Tsuen Wan after several residents of the two buildings also contracted the virus. from South China Morning Post: * Seven passengers found with Covid-19, but Qatar Airways escapes ban thanks to a loophole in Hong Kong’s test rules * Fourth wave from Hong Kong: Experts warn of business closures, touch Curfew in shopping centers ‘if residents don’t cooperate’, as city records 74 new cases of Covid-19 * ‘Incredible’: a scientist whose work led to Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines unleashes years of frustration This article Hong Kong fourth wave: Police investigate where the Covid-19 patient who escaped during 54 Hours of flight went, while the city confirms that 85 new cases of Covid-19 appeared for the first time in the South China Morning Post. the latest news from the South China Morning Post, download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
