Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) yesterday said that she would not impose a mainland China-style hard lockdown as the territory faces its worst COVID-19 outbreak to date, even as she vowed no switch to living with the coronavirus.
The comments came as hospitals began to buckle under the strain of rising infections, with at least two medical facilities placing patients in beds outside their entrances.
No place in the world has managed to return to zero COVID-19 cases after such an outbreak except China, which has imposed citywide lockdowns and mass stay-at-home orders when even a handful of cases are detected.
Photo: Bloomberg
Lam ruled out that approach.
“We have no plans whatsoever to impose a complete, wholesale lockdown,” she told reporters.
However, she also rejected calls from some public health experts and business figures to switch to a mitigation strategy, saying “zero COVID-19” remained her administration’s goal.
“We have to continue to fight this anti-epidemic battle. Surrendering to the virus is not an option,” Lam said.
Authorities would continue to use smaller-scale district lockdowns, with testing of all residents in housing blocks where cases are detected, she said.
For more than two years, Hong Kong has followed China’s strategy, pursuing zero COVID-19 cases with largely closed borders, lengthy quarantines, contact tracing and stringent social distancing regulations, but the new outbreak fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has battered the territory’s capacity for testing, quarantine and treatment, and is testing the policy like never before.
More than 1,600 new daily infections were reported yesterday after the figure hovered above 1,000 for much of last week. Local researchers have warned that new daily cases could exceed 28,000 a day by next month.
Before this outbreak, Hong Kong treated all COVID-19 patients in dedicated isolation wards, but beds at hospitals and a temporary mass treatment facility near the airport have quickly filled up.
Close contacts of COVID-19 cases were earlier sent to a government quarantine camp, but many are now being told to isolate at home.
Lam said 3,000 apartments in newly constructed public housing blocks would be converted for quarantine use and that officials are seeking 10,000 hotel rooms as well.
Hong Kong Chief Secretary John Lee (李家超) yesterday said that he would self-isolate at home “for prudence’s sake” after a domestic helper working at his home was found to be a preliminary positive case.
Last week saw long lines of people waiting to get tested, and many who tested positive reported being turned away from hospitals.
Hong Kong has sourced 100 million rapid test kits and is to distribute 1 million a day to high-risk individuals once they arrive, Lam said.
Hong Kong imports most of its food from mainland China, and vegetable prices spiked last week due to supply disruption.
Lam yesterday said that her administration was recruiting more cross-border drivers and was looking into waterborne freight.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday held an equipment installation ceremony for its first 2-nanometer fab in Kaohsiung, six months ahead of schedule, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. “To cope with the strong global demand for advanced chips, TSMC is to start moving in equipment for its first-ever 2-nanometer fab half a year earlier than scheduled,” Chen said at an question-and-answer session at the Kaohsiung City Council. TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology would help accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications as well as the transformation of local industries in Kaohsiung, Chen said in a
TEAM TAIWAN: While lawmakers proposed declaring Nov. 24 a national day, the CPBL commissioner urged the legislature to pass the budget for sports development Lawmakers yesterday proposed designating Nov. 24 as National Baseball Day and updating the design of the NT$500 bill to honor the national team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 championship on Sunday, as thousands of fans came out to see the players parade down the streets of Taipei. Players, coaches and staff from the national team returned home on Monday night after achieving their best-ever performance in an international baseball tournament. After receiving a rapturous welcome at the airport, the players turned out yesterday for a street parade in front of thousands of adoring fans waving Taiwanese flags and
Taiwan moved clear of Mexico to be the only country at No. 2 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Baseball World Rankings. Meanwhile, draft bills to set up a ministry of sports were approved at a joint session at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. After previously being tied with Mexico for second on 4,118 points, Taiwan moved clear on 5,498 points after they defeated Japan in the final of the WBSC Premier12 tournament on Sunday. Mexico (4,729) dropped to fourth, behind Venezuela (4,846), who finished fourth at the tournament. Taiwan narrowed the gap to first-placed Japan to 1,368 points from 1,638, WBSC
GLOBAL SUPPORT: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the motion highlighted the improper exclusion of Taiwan from international discussion and cooperative mechanisms Taiwan yesterday thanked the British parliament for passing a motion stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not involve Taiwan, making it the latest body to reject China’s interpretation of the resolution. The House of Commons on Thursday debated the international status of Taiwan and unanimously passed a pro-Taiwan motion stating that the House “notes that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the political status of Taiwan or establish PRC [People’s Republic of China] sovereignty over Taiwan and is silent both on the status of Taiwan in the UN and on Taiwanese participation in UN agencies.” British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Parliamentary
RSS