By The SUN
 |
| CE Lam says another Kwai Chung block will be locked down for 5 days |
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has ordered another housing block
in Kwai Chung Estate to be locked down for five days after 10 new cases were
found there.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Executive
Council meeting today, Jan 25, Mrs Lam said the five-day lockdown of Ha Kwai
House began last night so it will remain sealed off until Jan 28.
Mrs Lam also said that the lockdown of Yat Kwai House will
be extended for two more days after the number of infections in the building climbed
to 150. Its five-day lockdown was supposed to end early Wednesday.
Another building, Ying Kwai House, is also due to end its
five-day lockdown on Friday. The CE said the government will review the
situation in the building before deciding if an extension is necessary.
“I totally understand affected residents of Kwai Chung
Estate would feel very upset and anxious upon hearing the announcements, but I
ask for your understanding,” she said.
“This wave of outbreaks comes fast and fierce, so we have to
adopt relatively assertive and stringent measures to cut the transmission
chains.”
She also said that while it’s unlikely social distancing
measures can be relaxed drastically before the Lunar New Year, she said the
government will see whether there is room to make “slight adjustments.”
This could include bringing forward the implementation of a
vaccine bubble, and expand it further. The new virus control measure which was
originally set to start on Feb 24, will allow only vaccinated people to enter
certain venues, like restaurants and schools.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection said in its
daily press briefing that 124 additional confirmed cases of Covid-19 were
confirmed as of midnight last night.
Of these, 93 are local cases, including six whose sources
are untraceable. The 31 imported cases include 21 aboard an Indian vessel
docked at Hong Kong port.
More than 70 preliminary positive cases have been recorded.
 |
| CHP said the number of infected people linked to Kwai Chung Estate has gone up to 276 |
CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the biggest cluster of cases
were found in Kwai Chung Estate, where 276 people have tested positive so far,
including 33 reported today.
Chuang gave the breakdown as follows:
Yat Kwai House - 15 residents and 1
security guard
Ying Kwai House - 4 residents
Ha Kwai House - 10 residents
Yuk Kwai House - 1 resident
Nga Kwai House - 1 resident
Yuk Kwai House - 1 resident
CE Lam noted that the number of cases in Kwai Chung Estate
continues to rise each day. From nine cases recorded on Jan 20 (Thursday), the
tally rose to 20 on Friday, 105 on Saturday, 173 on Sunday and 226 yesterday on
Monday. Today it went up to 276.
She said the infection appears to spread, with positive
cases being reported within 10 blocks of the estate.
Asked why the entire estate was not being locked down
despite the massive outbreak, she said 35,000 people live there, and she
worries how the long isolation would impact their daily lives.
Secondly, government resources are limited. She mentioned
that everyone who tests positive is taken to hospital and treated until they
have recovered. There are not a lot of places in the world where this is done,
she said.
Mrs Lam also noted other growing clusters of infection,
including one in Wong Tai Sin where both the Omicron and Delta variants have
been found in the sewage water.
She said the tainted water led to the discovery of an
individual who bought a hamster and started feeling sick on Jan 15. The
patient, who was later found to carry the Delta variant, did not follow
instructions to hand over the hamster to the government to be tested and put
down.
She also expressed concern over some clusters started by
residents at Yat Kwai House, including the outbreak at a construction site in
Mong Kok, where 10 cases have now been recorded. More than 100 colleagues and
friends of the resident will now be moved to Penny’s Bay for quarantine.
If necessary, the CE said it will consider asking help from
the Mainland Government if there is a need to further expand Hong
Kong’s capacity to test for Covid-19 as it did two years ago.
 |
| The vaccine bubble project will start earlier than expected |
As of yesterday, she said 78.1% of the eligible population
has had their first shot of a Covid-19 vaccine. More than 800,000 people have
had their third, or booster, shot.
She promised to update the public on social distancing measures
before the start of the Lunar New Year. She advised everyone not to socialize
too much over the holidays.
Meantime, she continued to express disappointment in Home
Affairs Secretary Caspar Tsui. Despite completing his quarantine at Penny’s Bay
after being found to have attended a large gathering where two infected people
were among the guests, the CE said she has requested Tsui not to go back to
work just yet.
She said the result of a full investigation into the
incident which involved a couple of officials and legislators, will be
announced before the start of the Lunar New Year holidays.
“I have already asked that he should not come to work until
the investigation is completed and the results announced to the public,
including any possible sanctions,” she said.
“That is the reason why I have asked him to continue to take
his leave and not to come to office because he is in a very important position,
the Secretary for Home Affairs.”
Asked why she has been seen without a mask lately, the CE
said she has stopped wearing one while speaking to the media, or to the public
through the media, including when she delivered her Policy Address at the
Legislative Council.
“The people of Hong Kong
have to hear very clearly from the Chief Executive what are the messages that
she is conveying to the public,” she said.
Wearing a mask will not allow people to see her feelings
when she speaks, she said.
