Worshippers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, burn joss sticks as they pray at the Wong Tai Sin Temple, in Hong Kong, Feb 12, 2021 to celebrate the Lunar New Year which marks the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. (KIN CHEUNG / AP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong saw 24 fresh COVID-19 infections on the first day of the Lunar New Year on Friday with the city's Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee urging the people not to attend family gatherings without wearing masks.
Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee urged the people not to attend family gatherings without wearing masks
Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported the origin of nine local cases remained untraceable while 10 people had tested preliminarily positive.
Friday's six imported cases involved one arrival from the Philippines, two from the United Arab Emirates, and three from Indonesia.
Chan said the easing of restrictions at eateries from Feb 18, as announced earlier, will be subject to compliance with additional anti-epidemic rules, including mandatory virus tests for restaurant staff every two weeks and complusory use of the government's virus risk mapping app LeaveHomeSafe by patrons who wish to dine in. She sought to allay privacy concerns about the app saying that effective contact tracing was of paramount importance to cut off community transmission chains.
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Worshippers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, queue beside the statue of ox as they pray at the Wong Tai Sin Temple, in Hong Kong, Feb 12, 2021 to celebrate the Lunar New Year which marks the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. (KIN CHEUNG / AP)
Chan said if the epidemic situation continues to remain stable, starting Feb 18, restaurants will be allowed to offer dine-in services up to 10 pm and to raise the cap on diners per table to four from current two.
As many people went hiking on Friday, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, Chan called on Hong Kong residents to reduce outdoor and mask-free activities to bring down the risk of COVID-19 infections.
Worshippers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, pray at the Wong Tai Sin Temple, in Hong Kong, Feb 12, 2021, to celebrate the Lunar New Year which marks the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. (KIN CHEUNG / AP)
According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, 373 COVID-19 patients are currently being treated in public hospitals and at a community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo, with 22 in critical condition.
With an 85-year-old man suffering from chronic diseases passing away on Friday morning at Yan Chai Hospital, Hong Kong's fatalities from COVID-19 infections so far stood at 192. The city has recorded 10,755 COVID-19 infections so far.
With Xinhua inputs