Hong Kong flags 'worrying' trend of unlinked COVID-19 cases; suspends face-to-face activities in kindergartens
14 November, 2020
Hong Kong authorities warned on Thursday (Nov 12) of a "worrying" trend of unlinked COVID-19 cases, and will suspend all face-to-face activities in kindergartens and childcare centres for 14 days, beginning with Saturday, amid more than 170 outbreaks of respiratory illnesses.
On Friday, the territory reported six new COVID-19 cases, taking the city's total tally to 5,436. Two are imported cases who travelled from Germany and Indonesia, as the remaining local infections comprise two linked and two unlinked cases.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on Thursday called on the general public to remain vigilant as Hong Kong reported 23 confirmed cases including seven local transmissions, which only 1 was traced to a previous case.
"With the high infectiousness of the virus, it's possible that people will be seeing increasingly more cases, whether they are linked or unlinked, in the coming days," said CHP's head of communicable disease branch Chuang Shuk-kwan.
"WE COULD NOT FIND A DEFINITE LINK"
The six unlinked cases reported on Thursday comprise five drivers and a 42-year-old salesman who held meetings with clients at work and attended a wedding banquet before he tested positive for the coronavirus.
"So this is a little worrying because for these cases, including drivers who stayed in a variety of districts in Hong Kong, we're able to not discover a definite link included in this. This indicates that there is still quite somewhat of transmission locally," said Dr Chuang.
Dr Chuang said that one of the clients the salesman met during the infectious period "will be sent to a quarantine camp".
Meanwhile, the wedding banquet guests will be asked to get tested for COVID-19 "to ensure that there is no source of infection or a cluster of cases consequently of this wedding banquet".
Dr Chuang clarified that the marriage banquet "had not been held through the confirmed COVID-19 patient's communicable period, it had been held through the incubation period".
She added that a number of the patient's close contacts are teachers and students who also have to be tested. As a precautionary measure, CHP in addition has asked the relevant schools to suspend classes for you to two days.
KINDERGARTENS, CHILDCARE CENTRES SUSPENSION
All kindergartens and childcare centres will suspend face-to-face activities from Saturday to Nov 27, the Hong Kong government announced on Thursday.
The Department of Health had until Thursday morning recorded 171 upper respiratory tract infection outbreaks, including 101 which involved kindergartens or childcare centres, said food and health secretary Sophia Chan.
She said the outbreaks aren't linked to COVID-19 based on tests conducted, but described the situation as "worrying".
The outbreaks occurred "in spite of all the measures that we have set up in the schools, including personal hygiene, mask wearing, etc", Professor Chan added.
The federal government would monitor the problem during the two-week suspension and wouldn't normally eliminate extending the suspension if the problem does not progress, she said.
In the meantime, the training Bureau said schools should remain open and have staff members prepared to handle administrative affairs and parents' enquiries.
The statement comes a day after the announcement that Hong Kong and Singapore will launch an flights bubble on Nov 22.
You will have one flight a day into each city carrying 200 passengers each way and the number of flights will double from Dec 7.
Travellers need to take the dedicated flights, but could have no restrictions on their travel purpose and do not need to follow a manipulated itinerary. They will also not be at the mercy of quarantine or stay-home notice.
However, they need to test negative on COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests within 72 hours before their scheduled departure time.
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