HK reports 100 new virus cases, revives ban on evening dine-in

HONG KONG – Hong Kong will ban dine-in service at restaurants after 6 pm and close gyms and beauty salons starting Thursday, as the city reported 100 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

Announcing the details on Tuesday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the anti-coronavirus curbs have to be tightened because gatherings did not notably decline after the last round of rules took effect. She appealed to residents to reduce gatherings during the Christmas holidays.

The government will shut down sports venues, fitness clubs and massage and beauty salons, adding them to a string of leisure venues already closed. The new measures will take effect on Thursday and last for at least two weeks.

Hong Kong recorded a total of 1,274 new coronavirus infections in the past two weeks, which translated to 91 cases per day, Chan said. About 92 percent of these cases were locally transmitted.

Since the fourth wave which began in mid-November, there have been seven clusters with more than 10 patients. Three of them involve more than 50 patients.

The Executive Council approved a new regulation on Tuesday, allowing the government to confine people subject to mandatory testing at homes for as long as one week before their test results come back, according to Chan.

The government can also transfer them to testing centers or other designated places for testing if necessary. Food and necessities will be provided if the order lasts more than 12 hours, Chan said.

In a move to control imported cases, Chan said the government will arrange shuttle buses to pick up travelers arriving from overseas to designated hotels for quarantine. She said details will be announced as soon as possible after negotiations with hotels.