Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s status at risk if it doesn’t fully open up to international travel, leader warns, as 851 new Covid-19 cases logged

Hong Kong’s daily Covid-19 caseload surged past the 800 mark on Saturday, while a government pandemic adviser said a rebound was expected under relaxed social-distancing curbs and conditions were ripe to resume quarantine-free travel with foreign countries.

Outgoing leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor warned that further delays in fully reopening Hong Kong to visitors would put its status as an international financial hub at risk, adding that any moves hinged on whether reopening the border with mainland China was still the top priority of the next administration.

The comments came as the city logged 851 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, a 27 per cent rise over the previous day, with infection numbers at their highest since mid-April. Among them were 74 imported cases. No new Covid-related deaths were reported while 12 patients were in critical condition.

“There have been chains of transmission in the community which have not been cut off. There might be more people going out, especially during weekends and holidays, and more gatherings,” said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection.

“Those who have not been infected or those who have been hiding at home might have also gone out to hang out with others, which might lead to some transmissions.”

A cluster at Po Leung Kuk Lam Man Chan English Primary School in To Kwa Wan grew by seven cases, bringing the total to 14.