Coronavirus: clusters at 2 Hong Kong nightspots spark calls for no further easing of social-distancing rules in city’s bars and clubs
- Two separate outbreaks infected 26 bar-goers in Central over weekend, prompting expert to urge government not to relax social-distancing measures in clubs and pubs
- Government says it will tighten Covid-19 testing requirements for arrivals while easing its flight ban mechanism from June 1
The emergence of Covid-19 clusters putting 1,400 patrons at risk at two nightspots in Hong Kong’s core financial district has sparked calls from a government pandemic adviser for a halt to any further easing of social-distancing rules in bars and pubs.
The two separate outbreaks, which infected 26 bar-goers in total in Central over the weekend, coincided with a government announcement that it would tighten Covid-19 testing requirements for arrivals while easing its flight ban mechanism from June 1.
Hong Kong logged 237 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, including 37 imported cases. No new Covid-related deaths were recorded.
Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said 11 customers who had visited the Iron Fairies and J. Boroski bar on Hollywood Road between 9pm on May 21 and 2am the next day were found to be infected.
Inside the bar people had removed their masks, while dancing and drinking, he said. “We suspect there may be a superspreader or an infectious person who entered this bar on that night and caused the outbreak.”
Au said a compulsory testing order had been issued to patrons and he expected more cases.
The previous day a cluster was uncovered in the nearby Zentral nightclub in the Lan Kwai Fong area, with the outbreak growing to 15 cases as of Sunday. The patients had visited the club between the night of May 21 and early the next morning. Three had also infected family members.