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Coronavirus pandemic
OpinionLetters

Letters | China virus: Hong Kong must declare total shutdown of border to tackle outbreak

  • The fact that infected people may display no symptoms for days means just partially closing the border cannot stop the disease from spreading in the city
  • Hong Kong’s overstretched health care workers need protection, too

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Masks on as passengers make their way through the arrival hall of the West Kowloon high-speed rail station on January 28. Hong Kong has announced the shutdown of two railway services and the suspension of new visas to individual mainland tourists. Photo: Bloomberg
Letters
The Wuhan coronavirus has already spread through mainland China and to at least a dozen countries around the world. Hong Kong and Macau are also affected (“Railway closures, no visas: Hong Kong scrambles to fight mainland virus”, January 28).

There are cases also of patients without apparent signs of a fever, an obvious sign to detect at the border. The rapid spread of the virus throughout the mainland and the possibility that infected travellers may not display any symptoms point to the dire need to completely shut down Hong Kong’s border with the mainland.

A total border shutdown would be more effective to reduce the risk of mass infection in the population.

According to medical professionals, the coronavirus may incubate for up to 14 days before those infected will start developing symptoms. A complete shutdown would prevent potential carriers and patients coming to Hong Kong, reducing the risk of transmission.

Such a measure can also alleviate the pressure on Hong Kong’s public hospitals, already stretched by the peak flu season. If the Wuhan coronavirus were to spread in the city, hospitals would struggle to handle the overwhelming demand.

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