Hong Kong recorded 19 new coronavirus cases Monday and Tuesday bringing the number of active cases to 126 in what could be the start of a "fourth wave," health officials said Wednesday.
"The seven-day average number of locally confirmed cases has shown signs of rebounding in the past few days," a representative for the Department of Food and Health said.
Nearly half of this week's new infections have not traveled outside Hong Kong in the past 14 days and seven of the locally transmitted cases had no clear local origin, according to authorities.
The infection increase comes on the heels of a four-day Mid-Autumn holiday traditionally celebrated with large family gatherings, communal meals and retail sales.
'We do not rule out the tightening of relevant measures at any time," Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said when asked about the possibility of new restaurant and bar closures after strict precautionary measures were relaxed two weeks ago.
The number of diners allowed at a table increased from two to four, while bars, restaurants and clubs are now permitted to stay open later in a move that was met with praise from the local hospitality industry.
"If bars are kept closed, they will die and many people will lose their jobs," Allan Zeman, founder of the city's Lan Kwai Fong entertainment district, told the government.
Officials in Hong Kong - and around the world - are scrambling to balance economic stability with the health of their people as the pandemic enters its 10th month.
"We do not want the fourth wave [of the pandemic] to come unnecessarily early because we have not maintained vigilance in terms of our social distancing measures," the Health Secretary said.
Hong Kong has seen 105 deaths to date as a result of the novel coronavirus. It has killed more than a million people worldwide since it emerged in China late last year.
Serving More Than Food and Drink
Hong Kong citizens eager to make the most of the recent regulatory easing are pouring back into bars and restaurants. But some appear to be getting more than what they ordered.
"We have recently observed that there are cases coming from bars," Secretary Chan said, including two of the 19 cases confirmed so far this week which had ties to a bar in Kowloon.
A host from Thailand and a 22-year old university student who tested positive for the virus Tuesday had both frequented the China Secret bar the night before along with more than 20 others.
"The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has been working very closely with our police colleagues for joint operations," she said, warning that these inspections will be "stepped up" given the recent number of bar-related cases.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department conducted more than 9,000 inspections since social distancing came into effect in the spring to ensure food and beverage serving premises comply with pandemic measures.
Under the current social distancing regime, bars and eateries must close at midnight. But enforcement of these early closing times is not without dangers of its own.
On Monday, a brawl erupted when serving staff tried to evict a group of men from a Tsim Sha Tsui bar at closing time. The patrons beat four servers with bottles, chairs and fists. One 36-year-old man later died in hospital.
