On Sunday 108 new infections had been recorded by well being authorities, a every day excessive for Hong Kong
Hong Kong:
The lethal coronavirus is spreading uncontrolled in Hong Kong with a file 100 new instances confirmed, the finance hub’s chief stated Sunday as she tightened social distancing measures to deal with the sudden surge in infections.
The finance hub was one of many first locations to be struck by the virus when it emerged from central China.
However the metropolis had spectacular success in tackling the illness, all however ending native transmissions by late June.
Nonetheless, within the final two weeks, infections have spiked as soon as extra and docs worry the brand new outbreak is now spreading undetected within the densely packed territory of seven.5 million folks.
On Sunday chief government Carrie Lam stated greater than 500 infections had been confirmed within the final fortnight alone, almost a 3rd for the reason that outbreak started.
On Sunday 108 new infections had been recorded by well being authorities, a every day excessive for the finance hub, bringing the overall to 1,886 instances.
“I feel the scenario is actually essential and there’s no signal the scenario is being introduced underneath management,” Lam advised reporters.
Lam introduced new social distancing measures final week, shuttering many companies together with bars, gyms and nightclubs, and ordering everybody to put on masks on public transport.
Eating places had been ordered to solely supply takeout providers within the evenings.
On Sunday Lam introduced much more rules, together with plans to make it obligatory to put on masks inside any public indoor venue — and a brand new order for non-essential civil servants to work for house.
As hospital wards fill, officers are additionally scrambling to construct an extra 2,000 isolation rooms on barren land close to the town’s Disneyland resort to watch and deal with those that take a look at constructive, she added.
Hong Kong was already mired in recession when the pandemic hit because of the US-China commerce warfare and months of political unrest final 12 months.
The brand new partial lockdown has compounded the financial distress.
On Sunday, Lam referred to as for landlords to have a look at decreasing rents within the notoriously costly metropolis the place inequality is rampant.
She stated additional social distancing measures could be rolled out if the every day an infection price didn’t ease in coming days.
Nonetheless, she stated she was eager to keep away from ordering folks to stay at house.
“We will not simply make a easy and excessive transfer to chop all the things directly,” Lam stated.
Authorities say testing might be ramped up, concentrating on high-risk populations akin to taxi drivers and restaurant employees after clusters had been discovered inside their ranks.
Among the new infections have swept by aged care houses, a significant reason for concern given how lethal the coronavirus is to older folks.
Thus far twelve folks have been died after contracting the virus in Hong Kong — 4 within the final fortnight.
Lam stated officers would attempt to strike a stability between defending well being and protecting the economic system partially afloat.
“It is laborious to inform what sort of measures we might want to roll out… many locations have ordered folks to remain house,” she stated.
“We’ve not adopted that within the final six months as a result of we wished to take care of a standard life for everybody.”
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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