Hong Kong closes even more schools as COVID-19 situation turns 'severe', health minister says
21 November, 2020
Hong Kong has suspended in-person classes for lower major school students following the city’s top health official said the COVID-19 situation on metropolis was rapidly deteriorating.
Classes for Primary 1 to 3 students will be suspended for 14 days from Monday (Nov 23). The suspension comes greater than a week after kindergartens had been ordered to close pursuing an outbreak of top respiratory tract infections.
Hong Kong confirmed 26 new coronavirus infections on Fri, 21 which are local cases.
“I'd appeal to people to avoid all unnecessary gathering actions for the reason that situation is severe now in Hong Kong,” Hong Kong's Secretary for Foodstuff and Well being Professor Sophia Chan said.
Hong Kong is due to launch an flights bubble with Singapore on Sunday.
Currently, the flights bubble remains on the right track, although it could possibly be suspended according to the agreement around Singapore and Hong Kong if the seven-day moving average for unlinked coronavirus infections exceeds five in either city.
Prof Chan said Hong Kong has "probably entered right into a fresh wave of cases", citing experts and information from the Centre for Health Protection.
"But of course we are now carrying out our best, and before this severe situation started, during the past week, we've already tightened quite a few methods, including border control methods, quarantine methods, hotel regulation measures, and also some of the social distancing measures," she said.
Prof Chan added that Hong Kong has ramped up its testing capacity and create four community testing centres, adding that the government would continue steadily to tighten measures.
She said that Hong Kong must "conduct more at different junctures, different points" with regards to border control measures.
For those getting into Hong Kong, pre-departure COVID-19 tests are required and flights are also stopped if there are more confirmed cases. Examining measures are also tightened at the airport and "everybody should be analyzed at the airport terminal", said Prof Chan.
People time for Hong Kong, except those from mainland China, must be quarantined at accommodations instead of at home.
"We will look in to the science and the quarantine period to observe how best we are able to actually become more 'water limited' in these methods," she added.
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