Hong Kong’s leader yesterday said that the government would consider lifting strict social distancing measures as new COVID-19 infections in the territory continued to trend downward.
“I wouldn’t promise now that there’s room for adjustment, but following a review, we have a duty to account for the findings in this review and the direction we will take,” Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) said.
Hong Kong is in the middle of a massive outbreak, recording more than 1 million cases among a population of 7.4 million. The territory has been hit hard, with mortuaries full as they try to cope with a high number of deaths.
Photo: Bloomberg
Hong Kong has so far refrained from a strict lockdown of the sort that China regularly imposes elsewhere to control the spread of the virus.
However, new infections have been declining. Earlier this month, Hong Kong reported more than 50,000 new infections in one day. Yesterday, it reported 14,149 new COVID-19 cases and 246 deaths, lower than the 16,597 cases reported on Saturday.
“Having gone through the peak that you have seen here ... I think a responsible government should regularly and vigorously review these measures, to see whether there is room for adjustment,” Lam said.
“The COVID situation is still severe, although we have hit the peak apparently, and there’s a downward trend,” she said. “However, from sewage surveillance, we can see there can be a possibility of rebound.”
Hong Kong recorded 23,000 COVID-19 cases after testing more than 350,000 people in buildings served with restriction orders, Lam said.
Restriction testing declarations were placed on about 250 buildings after sewage-surveillance testing, Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing (黃錦星) said at the briefing.
Lam said that high mortality rate was due to the low number of elderly people who have been fully vaccinated.
Authorities need to balance between people’s right to choose and the need to protect the population and healthcare system, she said.
The Chinese-ruled territory has some of the most stringent COVID-19 rules in the world, with a ban on flights from nine countries including Australia and Britain, and hotel quarantine of up to two weeks for incoming travelers.
Hong Kong has also imposed a ban on gatherings of more than two people, while most public venues are closed, including beaches and playgrounds.
Many businesses across the city have been forced to shut, including gyms, restaurants, and bars, while others say they are living on borrowed time and need restrictions to ease immediately for survival.
Hong Kong has seen a net outflow of about 50,000 people so far this month, compared with more than 71,000 last month and nearly 17,000 in December before the fifth wave hit.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Reuters
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