Hong Kong fourth wave: several hotels have joined quarantine venue scheme, source says, as city confirms 90 new coronavirus cases
- Health officials expect to get 10,000 hotel rooms by the Friday deadline, source says; scheme is likely to be launched in mid-December
- Thirty-one of the city’s latest infections could not be traced, a situation health officials said was ‘worrying’
Fears of Covid-19 spreading in a public hospital also rose after a patient who was admitted almost three weeks ago tested preliminary-positive when she was about to be discharged.
With an influx of Hongkongers anticipated before Christmas, several hotels had signed up to be designated quarantine venues for overseas arrivals, a source said, adding health officials expected to get 10,000 rooms by the Friday deadline.
The designated hotel scheme is likely to be launched in mid-December. Thirty-one of the latest local infections could not be traced, while 11 were imported and involved arrivals from Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Russia, Pakistan, Japan and France.
The number of cases of unknown origin was the highest since August 13, when 33 were reported. More than 60 preliminary-positive infections were also recorded.
02:15
Hong Kong tightens social-distancing measures to cope with fourth wave surge of Covid-19 cases
The city’s tally of confirmed infections has risen to 6,589, with 111 related deaths. The latest fatality was an 82-year-old woman who died on Thursday evening and had been among the confirmed infections the previous day.