People dine in at a restaurant where tables are separated by transparent panels to curb the spread of the coronavirus, in Hong Kong, Aug 17, 2020. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 44 new coronavirus cases on Monday as the government announced an extension to social distancing measures aimed at controlling further spreading of the virus, which has seen a resurgence in the Asian financial hub since early July.

While the number of daily cases have come down from triple digits in recent weeks, authorities have cautioned residents from becoming complacent, warning that the situation remained “severe”.

At present, the severe epidemic situation does not allow any room to relax the social distancing measures.

Spokesman for the Hong Kong government

The government extended all existing social distancing measures for a week to Aug 25, according to an official statement. The measures include an evening dine-in ban at restaurants from 6 pm to 4:59 am, a two-person limit at tables, a two-person public gathering limit and mask requirements.

“At present, the severe epidemic situation does not allow any room to relax the social distancing measures,” a spokesman said in the statement.

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Hong Kong should get prepared for a possible winter surge or a fourth wave coinciding with the usual flu season, the spokesman said.

Out of the 44 cases recorded on Monday, 31 of them were local transmissions. 

Eleven of the new local cases were of unknown origin, the health department said. The city’s death toll stood at 69.

New and growing clusters at the port and in settings such as dormitories for foreign workers suggest there is still a “considerably high” risk of an explosive community outbreak, the government said

Infections linked to Kwai Tsing Container Terminals rose by two, bringing the cluster to 65 altogether. That could add to concerns about operations continuing at the facility, which last year handled 77 percent of the city’s 18.3 million twenty-foot equivalent unit port container throughput, according to government data.

New and growing clusters at the port and in settings such as dormitories for foreign workers suggest there is still a “considerably high” risk of an explosive community outbreak, the government said in a statement Monday as it extended social distancing measures. Although Hong Kong’s worst outbreak ever has eased from its peak in mid-July, levels of infection are not yet showing a sustained drop.

Monday’s figure was down from Sunday’s 74 cases. The latest cases brought Hong Kong’s infection tally to 4,524.

Citywide virus testing likely to begin Aug 31

A free coronavirus testing scheme for Hong Kong residents is expected to begin on Aug 31 at the earliest, local media reported Monday citing a veteran doctor.

Residents who want to be tested can go to temporary centers in the city's 18 districts to have their nasopharyngeal and throat swabs specimen collected by medical staff during the two-week scheme, Henry Yeung Chiu-fat said referring to the latest government notice he has received.

The authorities first thought of starting the testing on Aug 24. However, they had to delay it for one week as there could still be some logistic issues to take care of, said Yeung, who chairs the Hong Kong Doctors Union.

The free testing was first unveiled on Aug 7, as Hong Kong battled to rein in its worst wave of COVID-19 infections with 12 straight days of triple-digit daily rise in new cases from late-July to early this month.

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The government expected about five million to register for the testing, so that asymptomatic patients in the community can be traced and treated.

Yeung earlier revealed that the government planned to enlist 2,000 medical professionals to facilitate sample collection.

The Department of Health said it was unable to confirm China Daily the starting date of the testing.

A medical source told China Daily that there's no confirmed information on when the testing will begin, adding that "quite a number of issues need to be solved" before launching the scheme.

Gu Mengyan contributed to this report

With inputs from Agencies