Hong Kong marks first day with no local Covid-19 cases since September 15, as city welfare chief says ‘imperfect’ wage scheme saved jobs

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong concedes relief effort won’t save every job, but ‘furloughs could be much worse’ without it

Sole infection recorded on Saturday an imported case involving a 48-year-old arrival from Bahrain

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Hong Kong recorded just one imported Covid-19 infection on Saturday, involving an arrival from Bahrain. Photo: Edmond So

Kathleen Magramo,Kanis LeungandElizabeth Cheung

Published: 11:50am, 26 Sep 2020Updated: 11:56pm, 26 Sep 2020

Hong Kong marked its first day without a local Covid-19 infection since September 15 on Saturday, recording just one imported case, as the city’s welfare chief offered praise for a wage subsidy scheme he said was ‘not perfect’ but had helped avoid a wave of lay-offs amid the pandemic.

The Centre for Health Protection’s announcement, which marked the sixth consecutive day with single-digit cases, came a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor declared the third wave of Covid-19 under control, while warning of the lingering threat of infections with unknown sources.

The newest patient, a 48-year-old arrival from Bahrain, pushed the city’s coronavirus case tally to 5,059.

Health officials said the male aircrew member, who landed in the city on Thursday, had a virus test on arrival and stayed at the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel in Chek Lap Kok. Two other crew members on the same flight were listed as his close contacts and had to be quarantined. Officers found the man fell ill on Monday.

While no local cases were recorded on September 15, four imported infections were identified.

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