Hong Kong third wave: officials scrap coronavirus-related ban on eating in restaurants after just 24 hours
- City’s restaurants were told they could only serve takeaway as part of stringent measures to combat Covid-19
- Number of new infections in triple digits for ninth day in a row
03:13
Hong Kong bans all dine-in services at restaurants in attempt to contain third wave of Covid-19
The figures also put mounting pressure on the government to carry out citywide virus tests for residents as suggested by leading Chinese infectious disease expert Zhong Nanshan.
A source, meanwhile, told the Post that Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee led a team to Shenzhen on Thursday to meet mainland officials. Discussions centred on how the mainland could support Hong Kong to ramp up its testing capacity and provide more facilities at a new makeshift hospital at the AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition centre.
04:16
Hong Kong reverses all-day restaurant ban, as city reports record high 149 Covid-19 cases
While axing the dining ban appeared to be a remedy for an ill-prepared social-distancing move, political commentators and public health experts said an administration with low credibility was bound to bow to economic and political pressure when trying to contain the virus’ third wave.