Coronavirus: Hongkongers flouting four-person group limit face arrest, as local infection tally hits 582
- Bars and restaurants face new restrictions while cinemas close for two weeks
- City records 64 new infections, pushing the total up to 582
Hongkongers could face arrest if they breach a four-person limit on public gatherings imposed to curb a resurgent coronavirus outbreak, officials warned on Saturday.
They urged people to comply with the regulation and also avoid visiting ancestral graves for the coming Ching Ming Festival.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee revealed more details on the latest anti-epidemic measures just hours before cinemas, gyms and other venues shut down for two weeks, and restaurants began running at half capacity.
She said the success of the law would hinge not on the number of prosecutions, but on the improvement of the public health situation, admitting manpower was a concern in enforcing the new legislation.
“The importance of the law is not only to provide a legal framework, but to send a signal to the public that social distancing at this juncture is crucial in our public health measures,” Chan said. “We would really appeal to, and count on the support and cooperation of, our general public in terms of self-discipline … Enforcement, of course, is there, but this is not the main thrust.”