Coronavirus: imported cases threaten Hong Kong’s efforts to contain disease as 25 infections confirmed in one day
- Total number of cases surges to 192 even as city prepares to enforce mandatory quarantine on all arrivals, except for those from Taiwan and Macau
- Mainland faces a similar risk from outside as it, for the first time, does not report any new domestic suspected case of Covid-19
Hong Kong confirmed 25 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the highest number in a single day, most of them coming from overseas, reflecting the new risk confronting the city after its initial success in keeping a lid on infections.
The total number of cases surged to 192 even as the city prepared to enforce mandatory quarantine orders on arrivals from any part of the world, except for Taiwan and Macau, in a drastic move starting at midnight to shut out imported cases.
Mainland China was facing a similar risk from outside as it, for the first time, did not report any new domestic suspected case of Covid-19, suggesting the pandemic was waning on the home front.
While China only recorded 13 new confirmed infections at the end of Tuesday, of which one was from ground zero in Wuhan and 12 were imported cases, it documented a total of 155 imported cases.
That the country’s leaders were worried a rise of imported cases would scuttle China’s hard-won efforts to contain the pandemic was evident on Wednesday when President Xi Jinping chaired a Politburo Standing Committee meeting in Beijing to urge vigilance against a resurgence of the disease.
“We also face new circumstances and problems now,” Xi told members of the top policymaking body of the Communist Party.
“Especially as the disease spreads across the world, creating disadvantages for the global economy, and that has also brought new challenges to our efforts to prevent and control the epidemic and affected our economic growth.”
