Authorities have evacuated more than 70 people from a rehabilitation centre in Hong Kong over concerns of a possible Covid-19 cluster and confirmed a resident was among 26 new infections logged on Tuesday. Twenty-one cases were locally transmitted, five of which were untraceable, while another five infections were imported, including ones involving a domestic helper from Indonesia and a family of four from India. About 20 people also tested preliminary-positive for the virus. The city’s coronavirus tally stands at 10,693 cases. Two more patients succumbed to the disease – an 82-year-old woman with underlying health conditions who died on Monday evening and an 87-year-old man with chronic disease who died on Tuesday night – taking the number of related fatalities to 188. More than 40 residents and over 30 staff at the Po Leung Kuk On Tai Rehabilitation Centre in Kwun Tong were sent into quarantine on Monday evening over fears of a possible outbreak at the facility. A resident was among the latest confirmed infected, while two employees also tested preliminary-positive, one of whom previously visited an infected family member while asymptomatic during the incubation period of the disease. “It is possible that [the staff member] acquired the infection from her [relative], but as she is asymptomatic, it’s difficult to say when she carried the virus,” said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch. “There are also two linked cases [tied] to her. One is the other staff and the other is the resident, so we preliminarily consider there to be an epidemiological link between these cases.” Three residents of Wai Lee Building in Quarry Bay were among the latest cases. Officials on Monday evacuated more than 20 households living in flats “04” after experts found evidence of vertical transmission. Coronavirus cases at Hong Kong school spark major quarantine One of the untraceable infections involved a homeless person who frequented King George V Memorial Park in Jordan and Nam Cheong Street and Yu Chau Street in Sham Shui Po. He had shared a meal with a friend, who had tested preliminary-positive. Health authorities warned of an increased risk of transmission over the Lunar New Year holiday and urged the public to remain vigilant. “For the coming holiday, we are worried whether the social interactions during the festival will cause a rebound,” Chuang said. “Please maintain infection-control measures. Wear your mask and wash your hands and minimise social activities, especially those where you take off your mask.” Alarm in US at UK virus variant: ‘can quickly overwhelm a nation’ On Monday, more than 130 faculty and students at Shau Kei Wan Government Secondary School were sent into quarantine after two pupils who sat for an exam in the same hall were confirmed as infected. Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said his bureau would issue new guidelines for teachers and students who lived in buildings under lockdown. “If any students or teachers live in a building that has been placed under lockdown or given mandatory testing orders, they need to notify the school,” Yeung said. “And before they receive a negative test result, it would be best if they didn’t come to school.”