Hong Kong government extends Covid-19 social distancing rules
- Although the number of daily cases is dropping, the situation remains severe, and rules on wearing masks in public will continue
- 33 cases of coronavirus were recorded on Tuesday, the lowest in nearly a month
A woman takes picture in Tsim Sha Tsui during the third wave of COVID-19 outbreak in the city. Photo: SCMP / Felix WongThe Hong Kong government has extended the current Covid-19 social distancing measures until August 18, stating in a press release that the situation remains severe.
This includes further extending the ban on dine-in services from 6pm - 5am, caps on groups of more than two people, and the regulation that everyone must wear a mask in indoor and outdoor public spaces. Although the number of daily confirmed cases has decreased slightly, about 40 per cent of cases still have unknown sources of infection, "indicating the existence of sustained silent transmission in the community and therefore a considerably high risk of a large-scale community outbreak," said the press release.
Young people are not immune to Covid-19
Hongkongers are urged to stay at home as much as possible and avoid dining out and holding social gatherings - including at home.
Hong Kong recorded 33 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the lowest in nearly a month, though four more people died of the virus, bringing the death toll to 58 as of Wednesday.