Social distancing signs are seen on tables at a restaurant in Hong Kong, March 29, 2020, amid an outbreak of the new coronavirus.
(KIN CHEUNG/AP)
HONG KONG - Hong Kong residents should continue to stay vigilant to minimize the risk of another surge in the coronavirus outbreak, authorities and public health experts warned as the city’s infection tally broke the 1,000 mark on Saturday.
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The warning came as large crowds of people were seen going out on the streets and in scenic spots during the start of the four-day Easter holiday despite a ban on gathering of more than four people to maintain social distancing. Some of the holiday makers were seen without wearing masks.
A HKU research has found that the COVID-19 replicated itself three times faster than the pathogen that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003
On a radio program on Saturday, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said he noticed many people went out on Friday, the first day of the Easter holiday, riding bicycles without face masks and dining in groups at restaurants. He appealed to the public to continue to observe the social distancing rule to avoid jeopardizing efforts to curb the pandemic.
Earlier, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also called on the public to stay at home during the holiday. She cautioned that people should not let down their guard and risk a comeback of the virus.
Public health experts have sounded similar alarms. Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, predicted that it is unlikely to fully contain the epidemic by July, even with current precautionary measures in place.
Hong Kong microbiologist, physician and surgeon Yuen Kwok-yung speaks at a press conference on the testing treatments of COVID-19 coronavirus at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong on April 11, 2020.
(ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
He said the novel coronavirus could attack the human body without being detected. He is also part of a HKU research team, which in a study released on Saturday, found that the COVID-19 replicated itself three times faster than the pathogen causing the SARS outbreak in 2003.
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He urged people to stay vigilant and strictly follow social distancing measures.
Thomas Tsang Ho-fai, former controller for the Centre for Health Protection, also cautioned that an abrupt surge in new infections could occur if social distancing restrictions were not followed.
Appearing in a video, the government released in a social media post, Tsang noted the city’s epidemic control measures had shown effectiveness, as the curve of the infection tally had flattened.
But as the total count climbed to 1,000 on Saturday, Tsang said people should be vigilant. Only with the compliance and cooperation of the public as a whole can the city win this battle, he said.
