Coronavirus: new local cases in Hong Kong no cause for alarm say health experts, but days ahead will be crucial in determining if return of tough measures needed

Sporadic community infections could become the new normal and are no cause for panic, leading medical advisers say

But the government should step up testing of residents, doubling the current level to 7,500 per day, argues university microbiologist

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Hong Kong ended a 23-day run of no community coronavirus cases on Tuesday when two people with no recent travel history were recorded as infected. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 14 May 2020Updated: 10:39am, 18 May 2020

Hong Kong can continue with relaxed social-distancing measures as long as a newly recorded cluster of local coronavirus cases does not erupt into a wider community outbreak, public health experts say.

The coming days would be critical to determine the scale of the latest infections as authorities carry out widespread saliva tests within the community, according to Dr David Hui Shu-cheong and Dr Lam Ching-choi, the government’s health and cabinet-level adviser respectively.

If a large number of cases emerged, the city had to prepare to retighten some measures, including delaying the resumption of classes, shutting down businesses that have been allowed to reopen and further restricting public gatherings.

Fears of a resurgence were sparked by two local cases with unknown sources recorded on Wednesday after 23 days of no community infections, taking the city’s Covid-19 tally to 1,050, with four related fatalities.

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Speaking to the Post, Dr Keiji Fukuda, an infectious disease adviser to the government, said people did not have to be too worried as long as they maintained infection-control measures such as wearing masks, practising good hand hygiene and observing physical distancing.