Asia Today: Hong Kong to tighten measures amid virus surge

By Associated Press 08 December 2020, 12:00AM

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says social distancing measures will be tightened as cases of the coronavirus continue to surge, with a ban on nighttime dining and more businesses ordered to close.

Lam said at a regular news conference Tuesday that there will be a ban on dine-in services at restaurants after 6 p.m., and venues such as massage parlors, beauty salons and gyms will be closed temporarily. She did not specify when the measures will take effect.

“We all need to be mentally prepared about more measures to be rolled out,” Lam said, adding that there was “no choice” given the current virus situation in the city.

Hong Kong is grappling with the latest surge of coronavirus infections, with nearly 1,200 new cases in the last two weeks after a three-month lull.

Many of the cases in the recent surge have been linked to outbreaks in dance studios across the city, with Hong Kong ordering those who have visited stipulated venues to undergo mandatory testing. Clusters have also been found at a department store, a public housing estate and construction sites in the city.

Hong Kong has reported a total of 6,976 cases, including 112 deaths.

In other developments in the region:

— South Korea says it plans to secure around 84 million doses of coronavirus vaccines for a mass immunization program that officials hope will allow the country to restore some level of normalcy by mid-to-late 2021. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said Tuesday that the doses would cover 44 million people in a population of about 51 million. The shots will be delivered first to medical professionals, essential workers and people most at risk from COVID-19, including senior citizens and residents at long-term care facilities, starting possibly within the first half of next year, although officials didn’t provide a specific timetable. While the vaccines will begin to arrive in South Korea in February or March, Park said officials will take a cautious approach in administrating them and could spend two or three months reviewing the vaccination results of other countries and evaluating safety risks. Still, the country expects to vaccinate half its population at some point “not too late” in 2021, Park said.

— Authorities have ordered mass coronavirus testing and locked down some locations in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu following the detection of two new virus cases there. Chengdu health officials identified the cases as a 69-year-old woman, who’s condition is listed as serious, and her 71-year-old husband, who has yet to show symptoms. Officials at a Monday night news conference said they are still investigating the source of the infection in Sichuan province’s capital and largest city, which has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic. Five locations in Chengdu’s Ludu district have been sealed off, including a hospital, a school and a wholesale market, and more than 21,000 people had been tested as of Monday evening, the government said.

— Australia says it will extend its ban on international cruise ships and on Australians leaving the country except under exceptional circumstances for another three months until March. The extension means the human biosecurity emergency declaration will last for at least a year despite COVID-19 cases declining in the nation. Australia has imposed some of the most severe border restrictions in the world since the pandemic began, requiring most of its citizens and permanent residents to apply for a permit and prove exceptional circumstances if they need to leave the country. Health Minister Greg Hunt said Tuesday that the departure ban was “very hard for Australians.” Australia is a nation of 26 million people. Latest government figures showed there were only 1,618 active COVID-19 cases, with 30 patients in hospitals. In all states but the former hot spot Victoria, most of the infections were acquired overseas rather than from community transmission within Australia.

___

Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

By Associated Press 08 December 2020, 12:00AM

Trending Stories

Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>