xi's moments
Home | HK Macao Taiwan

HK rolls out tough measures to stem virus

By GU MENGYAN and LI BINGCUN in Hong Kong | China Daily Global | Updated: 2020-12-02 08:50

Residents submit COVID-19 test samples at a testing center in Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong, on Tuesday. CALVIN NG/CHINA DAILY

More social distancing, COVID-19 testing urged amid latest wave of infections to hit city

Hong Kong is rolling out some of its toughest social distancing measures to quell a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, after the city saw an average of 87 daily confirmed cases last week.

The moves include work-from-home practices for the city's nearly 180,000 civil servants and shutdowns of major entertainment venues.

The special administrative region is also set to at least double the fine for violations of the social distancing rules, while a medical expert suggested expanding COVID-19 testing to cut the transmissions.

The city on Tuesday recorded 82 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 23 untraceable ones and 32 related to the city's largest infection cluster, which originated from dance studios and now has more than 550 confirmed cases.

There were also at least 60 people who preliminarily tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The city's total number of confirmed cases reached 6,396, with 109 related deaths so far.

Hong Kong has been hit by a fourth wave of infections since mid-November and more than 100 confirmed infections have been untraceable in the past week alone.

Affected by the deteriorating pandemic, the city's quarantine-free travel bubble with Singapore was deferred to beyond 2020, the Hong Kong government announced on Tuesday.

Announcing the latest restrictions on Monday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor cited health experts' warnings that the fourth wave could continue to escalate.

The government is set to at least double the current fixed penalty of HK$2,000 ($258) for violating the anti-pandemic measures such as the mandatory wearing of masks in public, mandatory testing orders and bans on gatherings, Lam said.

In light of the large number of Hong Kong students expected to return to the city for the Christmas holidays, two hotels were enlisted to serve as quarantine centers, providing about 800 rooms.

Lam again brushed off the feasibility of imposing a mandatory universal testing program, quoting government health experts as saying that the move is not an "effective and scientifically based "option.

Local respiratory specialist Leung Chi-chiu said that it is necessary to tighten social distancing as it will reduce group gatherings, such as the Sunday get-togethers of foreign domestic workers.

He also noted that purely relying on these measures is not enough. The government still needs to strengthen testing services to ensure that all residents who are willing to get tested can do so.

Local resident Kuk Tin-man said that the government has done a good job in striking a balance between people's freedom and the need for social distancing to contain the pandemic. It was a "selfish minority" who were disrupting those efforts.

Local residents needed to seriously consider the safety of their family members, she said.

"It's not that difficult to strictly follow the measures for a little longer. Risking the spread of the virus in the community just to satisfy our own desires, that's rather selfish," said Kuk, adding that she welcomed the move to increase the penalty for violators of the anti-pandemic measures and impose stricter supervision of overseas arrivals, given the expected wave of overseas Hong Kong students returning to the city.

Global Edition
BACK TO THE TOP
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349