A woman walks past stalls in a shopping center in Hong Kong, July 22, 2020. (PARKER ZHENG/CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 12 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, including two untraceable local cases identified in the city’s free testing program, as the government announced to give out the second reusable mask for eligible residents.

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Nine of Friday’s new cases were imported — six from the Philippines and one each from Nepal, the United Kingdom and the United States

The two infections involved a 56-year-old woman who worked for a restaurant at Metropark Hotel Mongkok, and a 71-year-old housewife who lived in Tseung Kwan O.

Nine of Friday’s new cases were imported — six from the Philippines and one each from Nepal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The remaining new case was a five-year-old boy, whose mother had earlier been confirmed as infected during in the voluntary testing program.

As of 8 pm on Friday, 1.62 million Hong Kong residents have had their swab samples collected. So far a total of 23 patients have been detected in the citywide program.

Patrick Nip, secretary for the civil service, promised continued efforts to test high-risk groups after the testing program ends next Monday.

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More than 10 people also tested preliminarily positive on Friday, according to the Centre for Health Protection.

According to the Hospital Authority, 190 patients are still in hospital, including 21 in critical condition. 

The city’s infection tally stood at 4,925.

Second CuMask

The Innovation and Technology Bureau announced on Friday that the government will distribute the second adult-sized CuMask to eligible residents for free starting next Monday.

Residents who had registered online for the washable mask during the first period and given consent to the government for using their registration data for the distribution of other masks do not need to register again. The government will deliver the second mask to them by Hongkong Post.

The main registrant will receive an SMS message, which comes with a tracking number before delivery of the mailed item, according to a government release. 

Residents who had not registered may collect the mask at designated collection points in person or authorize others to do so on their behalf starting early October. Details and the exact date will be announced later.

The CuMask was developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel and is reusable for up to 60 times. 

With Xinhua inputs