Pedestrians walk past street market stalls in the Sham Shui Po district of Kowloon in Hong Kong on January 27, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chief secretary for administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, stressed the significance of precise screening to bring the COVID-19 epidemic under control at an early date as the city reported 53 new cases on Sunday.

Cheung in an online article that the government has found 14 patients through such measures adopted in three "restricted areas" in Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and North Point, as well as identified their close contacts.

The government will not underestimate the severity of infectious sources as every confirmed patient may lead to a cluster of cases, said Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung

With zero daily infection as the primary goal, the government will continue to carry out the precise, decisive and stringent policy to prevent the community spread and protect the health of residents, Cheung said.

The government will not underestimate the severity of infectious sources as every confirmed patient may lead to a cluster of cases, Cheung said.

Cheung pointed out that people violating mandatory testing actually commit a crime and could be fined, adding that about 30 people have been fined over the past week in the "restricted areas". 

Meanwhile, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said in a media briefing that the 53 new cases on Sunday included 44 local infections.

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She added that there were more than 20 who tested preliminarily positive and 17 infections of unknown origin. The city's tally of confirmed cases stood at 10,452.

Among nine imported infections, there were six that involved domestic workers from Indonesia, two from the Philippines, and one returnee from Russia.  

“We have a long holiday soon, and Chinese New Year is approaching. We should be very careful when attending gatherings. If you have any symptoms, you should go for a test,” Chuang said.

“Perhaps get tested a day or two before meal gatherings. Now, if you have symptoms, even if you have negative test results, it would be best if you avoid gatherings altogether,” she added.

Chuang said the new local cases included four infections at two construction sites for the Hong Kong airport’s third runway. The cluster at the construction sites now has 15 confirmed cases, including that of 13 workers and two family members.   

She added that the of the 44 local cases, five were from specified areas in Jordan and two each in Mong Kok-Yau Ma Tei, Sham Shui Po, and Hung Hom.     

Meanwhile, three more persons died due to the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the city to 176, according to the Hospital Authority (HA). 

The first fatality was a 46-year-old female patient who suffered from chronic illnesses. She was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Jan 18 but her condition continued to deteriorate and she died at 6:15 pm 

The HA said that the other fatality was an 86-year-old male patient at the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital. He died at 8:03 pm.

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The third fatality was a 95-year-old male patient who died at the United Christian Hospital at 9:38 pm, the HA added.

It said that there were 765 patients being treated as of Sunday in 22 public hospitals and the AsiaWorld-Expo community treatment facility, including 28 in critical condition and 38 in serious condition.

With Xinhua inputs