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Coronavirus: tougher control measures loom for Hong Kong, including mandatory tests for high-risk groups, as city records six new cases
- Recent infections tied to staycation parties cause for concern, health secretary tells lawmakers, warning of tighter restrictions
- Respiratory disease specialist, meanwhile, agrees some compulsory testing could be necessary if voluntary programmes fail to attract sufficient numbers
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Hong Kong could yet again expand its raft of anti-pandemic measures, including the introduction of mandatory screenings for “high-risk” groups and potentially regulating hotel staycations, a government minister warned on Friday, as the city logged six new Covid-19 infections.
Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee unveiled the potential moves at a Legislative Council panel on health.
“At this stage, there is no room to relax any of the current social-distancing measures … and because the epidemic is moving quickly, we won’t rule out tightening them if necessary,” she told lawmakers.
Health authorities recorded 23 coronavirus cases on Thursday, including four taxi drivers, while one patient this week was found to have attended parties at two hotels, with 10 and six friends on each of the occasions.
That case came on the heels of a staycation cluster at a Mui Wo hotel that led to about 10 infections.
The hospitality sector had already been put on notice to observe social-distancing rules, with the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners urging members to self-regulate by asking guests to refrain from hosting large parties and even calling police if necessary.
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