Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor meets the media before the weekly Executive Council meeting at the Central Government Offices, Hong Kong, Jan 5, 2021. (PARKER ZHENG/CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the city is still far from seeing “zero new infections” and a return to normal despite tough social distancing measures being currently in force.

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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning before an Executive Council meeting, Lam said the coronavirus curbs have proven effective, as the daily case count has been diminishing, though slowly, over the past weeks.

I don’t think the city has to report no local cases (for a certain period of time) before the social distancing measures are lifted.... But the situation now is not good enough to gradually relax them. We need to continue monitoring the situation.

Carrie Lam, HKSAR Chief Executive

The Hong Kong government announced on Monday the suspension of face-to-face classes until after the Chinese New Year holidays, along with an extension of restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Lam stressed those measures would only be relaxed once the fourth wave is seen as abating and not once the city logs zero new infections.

“I don’t think the city has to report no local cases (for a certain period of time) before the social distancing measures are lifted.... But the situation now is not good enough to gradually relax them. We need to continue monitoring the situation,” said Lam.

The Hong Kong leader’s words came after the city recorded 2,532 COVID-19 cases in December, the highest monthly tally since the outbreak started in the territory in Jan 2020.

Hong Kong recorded 53 new COVID-19 cases and two related deaths on Monday, bringing the city’s total of confirmed cases to 9,017 and the death toll to 153.

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Pledging greater efforts in effective contact tracing, Lam said immigration and customs officers will join the search for close contacts with police after meeting health experts for advice on Wednesday. Currently, only police are helping Center for Health Protection officials to ferret out close contacts of COVID-19 patients.