Hong Kong could impose a China-design difficult lockdown that confines people to their residences, authorities signalled Monday, with the city’s zero-Covid approach in tatters and bodies piling up in hospitals.
Two years of rigid zero-Covid insurance policies kept the coronavirus mostly bay but a breakthrough of the hugely transmissible Omicron variant uncovered how minor authorities experienced accomplished to get ready for a mass outbreak.
Hong Kong chief Carrie Lam formerly ruled out a citywide lockdown and in its place has ordered all 7.4 million people to be tested in March.
But in a U-convert, well being secretary Sophia Chan verified on Monday that it was continue to an solution.
Asked by a presenter at Commercial Radio no matter if a lockdown was nevertheless ruled out she replied: “No. We are nevertheless talking about.”
“From a public wellness viewpoint, to bring out the greatest impact of compulsory universal screening, we have to have to lessen people’s movements to some extent,” she added.
“In get to reduce actions, residents should really continue being at home or avoid outings as a great deal as possible”.
The announcement adds refreshing uncertainty and stress and anxiety for residents and enterprises in a city gripped by the form of chaos that was a lot more acquainted at the start off of the pandemic.
Hong Kong announced 26,000 new infections and 83 deaths on Sunday by itself. Before the existing wave, the city had recorded just 12,000 situations from the commence of the pandemic.
Hospitals have been stretched to breaking stage for months and on Sunday officials discovered bodies are piling up at hospitals for the reason that mortuaries are total.
“At this moment, we face a dilemma of transportation of dead bodies from healthcare facility to general public mortuary,” Healthcare facility Authority main supervisor Lau Ka-hin advised reporters.
“That’s why there are some bodies who were being originally planned to be transported to general public mortuary, but stayed in healthcare facility.”
Hong Kong’s seven-working day average loss of life amount is now managing at close to eight for each one particular million folks.
That compares with five per million for the United States, 1.80 for Britain and 1.36 for Singapore which, like Hong Kong, at first opted for zero-Covid but shifted more lately to a mitigation system and reopening to the wider environment.
On Sunday officials revealed that 91 percent of all those who have died in the present wave had been not totally vaccinated.
The huge vast majority of the lifeless are elderly with the virus ripping as a result of care residences in the densely populated metropolis.
In spite of sufficient materials Hong Kong experienced bad vaccination fees among more than-70s just before Omicron struck.
China is now significantly calling the pictures on Hong Kong’s reaction.
A taskforce led by leading mainland officials is operating out of the neighbouring city of Shenzhen.
Mainland crews are doing the job on developing a collection of momentary hospitals and isolation wards for the infected, despite the fact that the present-day caseload considerably outstrips supply.
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