Lion Rock Park closed for 30 days to wipe out mosquito breeding sites after 11 people get dengue fever in Hong Kong
Nine of those infected were known to have visited the park
Hong Kong’s Lion Rock Park will be closed for 30 days starting from Friday evening, as authorities work to wipe out mosquito breeding sites after four more Hongkongers were confirmed to have the dengue virus.
The three men and one woman — aged between 40 and 71 — had visited the park in Wong Tai Sin for exercise or barbecues.
The new cases bring the total number of people who acquired the mosquito-borne virus locally to 11, more than the seven cases recorded between 2015 and last year.
Of the seven confirmed to have the virus between Tuesday and Thursday, five had also visited the park.
The decision to temporarily close the park was announced after a meeting of the Pest Control Steering Committee, made up of government representatives from different departments, on Friday afternoon.
“[The shutdown] will facilitate government departments to conduct a thorough site cleansing and mosquito control work,” said Assistant Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Simon Liu Wai-shing.