“For general asymptomatic patients, or those with mild symptoms and lower risks, the Hospital Authority will arrange home quarantine for them if the home situation allows it. We are running as fast as we can to compete with the speed of the virus, and therefore everybody’s help is necessary and being called for.”

In a Facebook post, former hospital authority chief Leung Pak-yin warned cases would increase “several times” in the coming days and could even exceed 1,000 a day.

All but eight of Saturday’s confirmed cases were locally transmitted, with 180 already classified as linked to previous infections, and 161 still pending investigation.

Chan said the new policy would begin as early as next week. She said preparation work was under way including moving some self-isolators to free up space at Penny’s Bay and a hotline manned by the Home Affairs Department would be set up for inquiries about the new arrangement.

Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin added that a basket of factors would be considered before allowing home quarantine. They included the suitability of homes, such as whether they were subdivided flats or involved shared toilets or kitchens, and the age, vaccination status and existence of underlying illnesses of the self-isolators.

No visitors would be allowed at the confinees’ homes, and combined nasal and throat swab testing would be considered for frequent screening, Lam added.

At least two public housing blocks were given partial evacuation orders after infections were found in flats facing the same directions. At one, Hing Ping House on Tai Hing Estate, 27 patients in 15 flats were now infected.

The Centre for Health Protection also ordered Yuen Long Plaza to close temporarily for cleaning after several workers including security guards, waiters at two restaurants and a Fortress employee were infected.

Sogo department store in Causeway Bay also closed for the weekend after two employees tested preliminary-positive while the Bank of East Asia, Standard Chartered and Bank of China said they would suspend operations at dozens of branches because of the ongoing fifth wave.

Earlier on Saturday, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who is leading the city’s vaccination drive, said the government was still aiming for a vaccination rate of at least 90 per cent. As of Saturday, 79.8 per cent of the eligible population had received a first dose.

“More people have recently been getting their first jab. As of [Friday], there were 15,000 people,” he said. “More than 20,000 people received their third dose. We hope this trend will carry on.”

Asked whether the vaccine pass – to be launched on February 24 – would cover public transport, Nip said the actual need and execution would be considered, suggesting that random checks might be feasible.

“When we decide on what sort of social-distancing measures are required, basically we look at the outcome and the effects of such measures, whether they will effectively reduce the flow of people in the community so as to achieve our objective of cutting all these transmission lines,” he said.

Nip added they might consider adding more premises to the new social-distancing measures and further capping the number of people per table at restaurants.

Current social-distancing measures included a ban on dine-in services in restaurants after 6pm and the closure of 15 categories of leisure venues including cinemas, bars and gyms.

Nip said the focus would be on increasing the vaccination rate among the elderly as only about 22 per cent of more than 60,000 care home residents were inoculated.

“Eighty per cent of the elderly at care homes are suitable for vaccination based on doctors’ assessments,” he said.

“Before Lunar New Year, we sent a letter to all elderly care home residents and their families and asked them to reply in two weeks. If they are against vaccination, they have to provide a written reply and understand the risks of not getting vaccinated.”

From March 14, elderly residents newly admitted to care homes will be required to receive at least one dose. They will also need to get the second jab within eight weeks of the first one.

Currently, 98 per cent of government employees have been vaccinated. They will also be asked to show their vaccination records before entering government premises from February 16. Those who remained unvaccinated without valid medical reasons would face disciplinary action or be fired, Nip said.

The government expanded the work-from-home arrangement for civil servants on Friday, Nip pointed out, adding that as different departments had to provide public services that were “emergent and necessary” and support anti-pandemic efforts, he expected 30 to 40 per cent or fewer civil servants would work from home.

Nip said he hoped private companies could follow suit, or at least minimise the flow of people in the office.

“They should try their best to reduce the number of people in the office or prevent employees from showing up at the same time. They can also implement flexible work arrangements or video conferences,” he said.

Hong Kong’s rail giant the MTR Corporation had also asked its back-office staff to operate from home from February 5 to 11, except for frontline workers or those who needed to carry out special duties.

Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, co-convenor of the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following Covid-19 Immunisation, was asked on Saturday if Lam’s voluntary “universal” screening plan would help the city contain the pandemic.

Hung said although the rapid antigen tests were less sensitive than nucleic acid ones, authorities could track down infections with unknown sources, especially the asymptomatic cases, if residents could complete the testing within three days.