Coronavirus: Hong Kong outbreak fears over woman’s Easter gatherings send 50 to quarantine; six new Covid-19 cases confirmed
- Health authorities take action after 29-year-old, her husband, and five other family members all test positive
- Couple’s work colleagues in Kowloon Bay and Quarry Bay quarantined, while officials monitoring 14-year-old cousin who took exam with 100 others on Wednesday
The move came as the city confirmed six new coronavirus cases on Thursday, two of which were locally transmitted, and one, involving the 29-year-old, was untraceable. There were also more than 10 preliminary-positive cases.
The woman had the earliest onset of symptoms. Her infection was classified as being from an unknown source. The other local case was her 38-year-old husband. More than 20 of the couple’s colleagues will be quarantined.
The woman had also attended multiple family gatherings over the past two weeks, resulting in 15 relatives being sent to quarantine. The woman’s parents and three relatives – her aunt, uncle and cousin – all tested preliminary-positive.
“They had family gatherings over the Easter holiday and now we are facing two confirmed cases and five preliminary-positive cases,” Dr Ambrose Wong, from the Centre for Health Protection, said. “If the five … are confirmed, then it is definitely an outbreak within the family. It’s related to the Easter holiday, I think it’s quite obvious.”
The woman’s 64-year-old father developed symptoms on April 2. He is a mini bus driver on route 76 in Yuen Long from Fook Hong Street to Siu Hum Tsuen, and last worked on Wednesday.
His 59-year-old wife, who had onset of symptoms on April 6, visited her mother on April 9 and 12 in Kwai Chung. The older woman and her domestic helper will also be quarantined.
The 29-year-old woman’s cousin, 14, who attends Shung Tak Catholic English College in Hung Shui Kiu, took an exam on campus on Wednesday with about 100 people in the same hall. If her infection is confirmed, those in the hall will be issued a mandatory testing order.
The woman lives in Hung Shui Kiu and works at Quality HealthCare at Skyline Tower in Kowloon Bay. Her husband works at Cheong Shing Property on 1060 King’s Road in Quarry Bay.
The woman also ate at Mu Taiwan Noodles in Mong Kok on March 30 and went to a law firm at Regent Centre in Central on the same day. On April 4, she ate at Aya restaurant in Yuen Long. She shopped at ALOT Living in Kwun Tong on April 5 and at Don Don Donki in Siu Sai Wan on April 9. The next day, she got a manicure at Nail House in Mong Kok’s New Town Mall.
A staff member at the law firm who served the woman and the manicurist will be quarantined.
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The four imported cases confirmed on Thursday were from France, India, Italy and the Philippines. Two of those involved a mutant strain of the coronavirus, taking the total number of variant strain infections identified in Hong Kong to 214.
Hong Kong’s total number of confirmed cases stands at 11,618, with 209 related deaths.
Separately, Hong Kong has banned Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot from operating flights from its home base to the city for 14 days, starting on Friday, for breaching Covid-19 rules.
The ban was invoked after two passengers who arrived in Hong Kong via flight TR980 on Sunday were confirmed as infected, while one passenger failed to comply with requirements specified under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation, according to a press release issued by the Department of Health on Thursday afternoon.
The department did not specify what requirements had been contravened.
