Coronavirus: zero new infections in Hong Kong but authorities say social distancing rules, border controls must remain
- Officials clear out a Kowloon City hotel to convert it into a quarantine centre for asymptomatic arrivals into Hong Kong
- Department of Health decides not to stage virus briefing held daily since January as city’s infected total static for first time in two months
Hong Kong had zero new coronavirus infections to report on Monday for the first time in nearly two months, but health officials and experts tempered hopes of a turnaround with warnings that the risks were still great enough to keep social distancing rules and border controls in place.
“The most important component in the government’s anti-epidemic work right now is to stop the import of the virus, as well as its spread in the community,” a government spokesman said.
With the total number of infections in the city standing still at 1,025, the Department of Health and Hospital Authority cancelled its daily media briefing for the first time since it began providing daily updates since late January.
Queen Mary Hospital, however, confirmed on Monday evening that a recovered 17-year-old man was found to have “traces of the virus that are not infectious” in preliminary testing. The medical team suspected that the patient, who is currently in hospital, was not reinfected. Further tests would be done to ascertain his condition.
Hong Kong recorded its first case on January 23, and the last time the city detected no new infections was March 5. Daily infection numbers surged after that as overseas residents rushed back from Britain, the United States and Europe, bringing the coronavirus home with them.