Hong Kong uncovers Covid cluster in high-end Central nightclub as officials consider making arrivals take extra coronavirus test
- New cluster of 11 infections linked to Zentral nightclub in Lan Kwai Fong
- Health chief says government is considering adding one more Covid-19 test for arrivals between days seven and 12
With the emergence of 11 nightclub-linked cases and previously known clusters worsening, the city recorded 270 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. But a government pandemic adviser said the possibility of a rebound in local infections remained low.
Thirty-one of the 270 cases were imported and one more virus-related death was recorded. The latest figures took the overall Covid-19 tally to 1,211,858 cases, with 9,376 related deaths.
The new cluster was linked to Zentral nightclub on the fourth and fifth floors of California Tower on D’Aguilar Street in the popular Lan Kwai Fong nightlife area.
Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection said all 11 patients had visited the venue between 11pm on May 21 and 5am the next day. All were vaccinated and had light symptoms.
“Some of those cases had walked around or talked to different people while drinking and had removed their masks,” he said, adding the 11 people did not know each other. “Given there were so many cases, I believe those [infected customers] did not cluster at a certain corner and were quite spread apart.”