Coronavirus: far fewer residents gather at scenic spots across Hong Kong on second day of Easter holiday
- Most visitors to Repulse Bay Beach and other tourist landmarks wearing masks and following social-distancing rules
- But city’s No 2 official repeats call for residents to stay at home, saying outbreak ‘still severe’
After scenes of packed beaches and mountain trails on the first day of the long Easter weekend, Hong Kong residents gathered in far fewer numbers at popular spots on Saturday as authorities repeated calls for the public to follow social-distancing rules and help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The weather was also less inviting, with overcast skies and a breeze bringing down temperatures, unlike the sunny skies the day before.
But the city’s No 2 official, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, cautioned the public against taking the recent dip in numbers as a sign the outbreak was receding. On Friday thousands of people headed to beaches, the countryside and shopping malls.
Cheung urged people to remain in their residences but conceded that could be challenging during what in normal times is a festive weekend.
“The scenes of people flocking out have made me very worried,” he told a radio programme. “I appeal to the public to show restraint and stay home for the remaining three-day holiday, although I know that’s difficult.”
He expressed concern that people were going out without masks. “Don’t loosen our guard just because we saw the epidemic situation has eased in the recent days. It could reverse in a very short time,” he warned, adding the outbreak was “still severe”.
