Coronavirus: top WHO official praises Hong Kong, Singapore for ‘very effective’ measures to suppress transmission of disease

In a press conference in Geneva, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation’s health emergencies programme, named Hong Kong and Singapore when he said measures taken needed to be based on the local situation.

“Measures that have not involved walling off cities or completely banning travel have been very effective in both suppressing and driving transmission down over the last six weeks,” Ryan said on Monday.

While drastic action to contain the spread of the virus, including lockdowns, had been taken since January in cities in Hubei province, epicentre of the outbreak in mainland China, Ryan said other places might not be able to sustain that type of effort for so long because of “levels of social acceptance or resources”.

Hong Kong has not banned people entering the city from most parts of the world, but implemented forced quarantine for those returning from areas hard hit by the outbreak, such as the mainland, Iran and some South Korean and Italian regions.

The city did not record any new infections on Tuesday and the tally remained at 100 confirmed cases and a probable one. Two people have died.

Among 40 people sent to quarantine centres after returning from Iran on Monday, one was taken to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan after exhibiting symptoms, which were not specified by the health authorities.