Hundreds of new coronavirus cases in the past month have prompted Hong Kong authorities to declare that the pandemic's fourth wave is hitting the city particularly hard.
"I don't want the public to mistakenly reckon that the peak of the epidemic is over already," chief executive Carrie Lam said.
The cold weather and a relaxation of social distancing policies in November led to 679 cases recorded in the two weeks between Nov. 15-Nov. 28. As a result, the city will begin a lockdown period from Wednesday onwards.
Face-to-face classes at all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong will be canceled according to a statement released by the Education Bureau Monday, and government workers will be asked to work from home.
All eateries in Hong Kong will be required to close by 10 p.m. from Wednesday onwards and tables will be limited in size to two people. Nightclubs and bars are expected to close, while gyms across the city will no longer offer fitness classes.
"I understand that it will bring some inconvenience to everyone but when everyone sees the international epidemic situation, it is really terrifying," Secretary for Labor and Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong said.
Over the weekend, the government instituted mandatory testing for residential care home staff and suspended services at 20 government-run clinics as the Department of Health looks to deploy nurses and doctors in the pandemic relief effort.
While the majority of recent cases have been local, not imported, authorities are also taking a strong stance against international travel.
"Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all nonessential travel outside Hong Kong," a government representative said Sunday.
In comparison to the pandemic death tolls overseas, Hong Kong is doing well. The SAR has reported 109 deaths from the virus to date - a fraction of the 267,000 killed in the U.S. alone owing to the coronavirus.
And as Lam's administration prepares to apply stringent social distancing regulations later this week, the number of Hong Kong deaths will likely remain low.
