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HONG KONG: Some law firms and banks in Hong Kong are facing mandatory coronavirus testing as most of the 47 news cases recorded on Saturday (March 13) were linked to a gym used by the expatriate and financial community. .
The city government said 35 of the new cases were related to the outbreak at Ursus Fitness, a gym in the city’s Sai Ying Pun district.
The health department said in a briefing that 99 cases have been confirmed so far related to the center, which is popular with expatriate lawyers, bankers and hedge fund executives.
The government published a mandatory test notice on Friday covering 80 residential premises and workplaces, many in the central business and financial district.
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Many of the 29 affected workplaces are leading law firms and financial institutions, such as Shearman & Sterling, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, HSBC, Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas, and BNY Mellon.
The mandatory test notice is posted at the facility where one or more cases were found, requiring individuals who have been at that location for more than two hours in the past two weeks to undergo a nucleic acid test.
“The fourth wave never ended, (because) the number of cases has not dropped to zero; now I am concerned that it may recover quickly,” Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, from the city’s health department, said in a briefing. .
Confirmed infections on Saturday were down from 60 on Friday. Before the gym outbreak, daily cases in Hong Kong had fallen to double-digit and single-digit lows.
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Gym users must now wear masks during their training, while gym staff must be tested for coronavirus every 14 days, the government said Friday.
Hong Kong has recorded around 11,200 total coronavirus cases, much lower than in other developed cities. The city of 7.5 million people launched its vaccination program in February, with 162,100 people receiving their first vaccination so far.
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