Hong Kong is extending social distancing restrictions for another 14 days as a precautionary measure, even as the financial hub sees a drop off in daily new Covid-19 infections.
“This is not the time to let down our guard, or our efforts would go to waste,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said as she announced the move yesterday before a meeting of the city’s Executive Council. The measures were previously due to expire tomorrow.
Hong Kong reported four new cases Tuesday, all of which had a travel history to the U.S. or the U.K, health department official Chuang Shuk-kwan said at a briefing. Hong Kong’s total number of infections now stands at 1,029, and it hasn’t seen a death from the virus since mid-March.
Lam said the government was trying to strike a balance between ensuring the success of the city’s existing public health measures and making sure its economy didn’t suffer too much damage. She said Hong Kong’s stimulus package, which was announced earlier this month and is worth about HKD137.5 billion ($17.7 billion), gave her the confidence to extend the social distancing restrictions.
Yesterday was the 13th consecutive day that Macau reported no new coronavirus cases in the city. Still, health officials have urged the public not to become complacent and to refrain from gathering in large numbers for the time being. DB/Agencies
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