Coronavirus: Hong Kong within reach of ‘zero local infections’, Carrie Lam says, as just one imported case confirmed
- A Saturday case under investigation is all that stands between city and 24 straight days without an untraceable Covid-19 infection, according to chief executive
- Chief executive says administration has been able to ‘keep the city safe’, despite rebounding numbers in nearby jurisdictions
With the exception of a Saturday case still being investigated, the city had now gone 24 days without an untraceable local infection, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said, ahead of the latest caseload being announced.
The positive test of a four-year-old boy on the weekend prompted quarantine orders for more than 20 children, staff and family members connected to a local kindergarten. But health authorities are now re-examining the source of infection and whether the test was actually a false positive.
“There have been rebounds in the number of cases in the cities around us, but with the cooperation and efforts of Hong Kong residents, we have been able to keep the city safe. At this stage, I can say that we may be able to reach ‘zero infections’ in the city,” she said before her weekly Executive Council meeting.
Meanwhile, the government’s adviser on the pandemic David Hui Shu-cheong, of Chinese University, said the four-year-old boy tested negative for Covid-19 and for antibodies against the virus after being admitted to hospital.