Hong Kong's health care system is on the verge of a renewed COVID-19 outbreak that might, if left unchecked, lead to the collapse of the city's beleaguered hospital system. New and tougher social distancing measures were announced to cope with this new danger.
The dire warning of a health care collapse was made Wednesday by Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam. She revealed a dismaying and dangerous upsurge in local infections, "many with yet unknown sources."
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong with a population of 7.5 million residents have soared this month to hit a new daily high of 145 this week alone. New daily infections have remained above 100 for the last six days.
The Department of Health is now investigating 106 new cases, a number that brings the city's total confirmed cases to 2,884 as of Tuesday.
Hong Kong has reported over 1,000 new cases since early July. This number is equivalent to more than 40% of Hong Kong's total number of cases since the disease first hit the city in late January. The worst is still around the corner, however.
"We are on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially of the elderly" warned Lam.
"In order to protect our loved ones, our healthcare staff, and Hong Kong, I appeal to you to follow strictly the social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible."
New and stricter social distancing rules took effect today in a renewed effort to rein-in the widening community spread of the disease. The new rules ban public gatherings of more than two people from different households. All residents must wear masks when they leave their homes. Fines of up to US$625 ($HK5,000) will be levied on persons that break the new emergency rules.
All dine-in services have been suspended. This means restaurants can only serve take-out meals. Lam goaded Hong Kongers to fully cooperate in order to protect the city and its residents.
"I appeal to you to follow strictly the social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible," she said. "If we stand united and work together, we can suppress this epidemic again."
Hong Kong had largely controlled the outbreak before the resurgence occurred. It was also able to avoid imposing a harsh lockdown compared to other countries that imposed restrictive social distancing measures, which also shattered their economies.
Some health experts blame Hong Kong's upsurge on unwise exemptions from the usual 14-day quarantine granted to "essential personnel" by the government. This category includes air and sea crew, cross-boundary truckers and some manufacturing executives. The reopening of Hong Kong Disneyland in mid-June is also seen a source of resurgence.
China is also coping with its own resurgence. It reported 101 new cases Tuesday, its highest daily increase in weeks. It said most of the infections were from the northwestern Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region whose dominant population is Muslim Uyghurs.
