On the back of two mandatory lockdowns, Hong Kong has instituted a host of social distancing restrictions and testing precautions this week ahead of one of the city's largest public holidays, Lunar New Year festivities.
The new regime, which includes mandatory testing of all residential buildings with a single untraceable infection and any workplace with more than one case, came into effect on Monday in a push to lower the number of daily cases to under 20 by the Lunar New Year, which runs Feb. 11 to 17 on the mainland and from Feb. 12 to 15 in the territory.
Authorities finished screening residents of four Kowloon neighborhoods on Tuesday morning in an operation that required the areas completely sealed for more than a day. Families traditionally gather during the Lunar New Year and celebrations at work are common.
"We hope to adopt a more aggressive approach in the next two weeks so we can consider relaxing social-distancing rules after Lunar New Year," Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said.
The city recorded 34 COVID-19 infections on Monday, including five imported and eight untraceable, with a further 20 people testing preliminarily positive.
"In the next 10 days we will be targeting areas with more cases, buildings of poor quality or those with sewage samples testing positive for the virus," Cheung said. "Our aim [...] is to swiftly test everyone there."
The additional measures will help stop the virus in its tracks, according to Health Minister professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee.
"We want to be ahead of the epidemic curve," she said. "We want to find these cases [...] before they form a transmission chain in the community."
1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine destined for Hong Kong are undergoing quality and safety testing, said Chan. They are expected to reach the city by mid-February.
Outdoor sport facilities will reopen on Thursday and a partial resumption of face-to-face classes is expected after the holiday, but the Lunar New Year will not be the same.
Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, one of Hong Kong's main Taoist temples, announced on Monday that for the first time in its history, the ritual incense burning the night before the New Year would be cancelled due to coronavirus.
Up to 70,000 worshippers usually visit the temple during the holiday to light incense and give offerings to the deity the Great Immortal Wong in an effort to improve their fortunes for the next year.
