Hong Kong third wave: fresh record set with 118 Covid-19 cases as city confronts risk from infected crew aboard cargo ships
- More than 100 seamen isolated aboard vessels after six tested positive for the virus
- Government urged to require arriving maritime workers to undergo mandatory quarantine
03:10
Hong Kong battles third wave of coronavirus infections
More than 100 maritime workers are stuck aboard their vessels undergoing quarantine after six seamen tested positive for the virus, raising concerns that outbreaks aboard ships streaming into one of the busiest ports in Asia could overwhelm local hospitals. Seamen are currently exempt from the mandatory two-week quarantine rule, a loophole the government has been urged to plug.
But in a sign the situation could soon improve, a leading health expert said his research showed the reproductive rate of the virus, or the number of people each patient can infect, had fallen below one. He predicted the current wave would peak in two weeks.
Authorities have been ramping up social-distancing measures and urging the public to limit their movements. Undersecretary for Food and Health Dr Chui Tak-yi asked residents, especially the elderly and those with health conditions, to remain at home as much as possible.
“Please temporarily stop gatherings and meals with friends and families at home or in public if they are unnecessary,” Chui said. “Protect yourself, protect your families.”
The six infected seamen, from the Philippines, India, Russia and Montenegro, arrived aboard six separate cargo ships, which are now anchored off the south of the city near Lamma Island. They were transferred to hospital and three have been discharged after treatment. It is understood medical staff were sent to carry out tests on the remaining 140 crew members, who will emerge from two weeks of quarantine imposed due to the confirmed cases between this Saturday and August 3.