Coronavirus: Hong Kong nightclub clusters worsen, as commerce chief says opening up of borders must be ‘prudent’ process
- Health authorities report increase in coronavirus infections at all four clusters linked to city’s popular entertainment district
- Commerce minister Edward Yau says ‘border must be open’, but warns city should also take Covid situation in mainland China into consideration
The city reported 446 new Covid-19 infections, 64 of which were imported, and no additional coronavirus-related fatalities. Health officials said they expected to uncover more cases connected to the four clusters after compulsory testing was completed.
The overall tally of confirmed cases stands at 1,214,638, with the death toll remaining at 9,382.
The latest cluster, linked to Lan Kwai Fong’s Shuffle nightclub, expanded to 42 infections with 28 more cases recorded on Saturday, while another 44 were connected to Linq bar, bringing the number in that outbreak to 65.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, attributed the surge in cases to compulsory testing of the bars’ patrons.
“We have just discovered the clusters in Linq and Shuffle in the past two days and have been conducting compulsory testing,” she said.