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| REDMR branch in TST has been shut after the 5 infections were reported today |
First came
the pubs. Now a karaoke bar in Tsim Sha Tsui has been identified as the source
of a new cluster case of five Covid-19 patients.
The Centre
for Health Protection identified the establishment as REDMR Karaoke on
Carnarvon Road in Tsim Sha Tsui during its briefing today, Mar 31.
According to
CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-wan, the five patients, 4 women and 1 man, visited the
karaoke lounge on Mar 24. The first patient developed symptoms right after they
gathered in room 704 of the bar. The rest started getting sick on Mar 27 and
Mar 28. The man tested positive on Mar 30, the 4 women, a day later.
Two other people who were with them have been sent to a quarantine centre for monitoring.
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Two other people who were with them have been sent to a quarantine centre for monitoring.
It is still
not known if any of the karaoke’s staff has been infected.
The karaoke
bar was reportedly disinfected on Mar 26, after the first case was reported.
But on hearing that other cases had been detected from the lounge, management
reportedly closed down the TST branch today.
Karaokes are exempted from the temporary
closure of business establishments that attract large gatherings, such as gyms,
party venues, amusement centres and spas, which the government ordered
effective Mar 26.
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However,
they are required to conform to social distancing guidelines imposed on restaurants,
like accepting only half their regular capacity, allowing a maximum of four
people to sit at one table, which should be at least 1.5 meters apart.
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| Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love. |
Chuang did
not respond to an inquiry on whether karaokes ought to be closed as a result of
the newly recorded infections, which brought Hong Kong’s total tally of cases
to 715.
But she
again advised the public to refrain from going out, and gathering in
restaurants, bars and karaokes during the next two weeks, seen as critical in
stopping the recent surge in cases.
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| Most of the new cases again involve residents who have recently returned to HK from overseas |
Of the 32 new Covid-19 cases, 24 had traveled abroad
during the incubation period, and 13 are overseas students. One of the returning residents is
pregnant.
Also among
the new cases is a wheelchair-bound 57-year-old man who tested positive at Pamela
Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, and is said to be in critical condition. He
was looked after by a domestic helper, who has been put under quarantine.
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One staff of
the Dusk till Dawn pub was also among the new cases, bringing the total number
from the so-called bar cluster to 69. The cases include staff, musicians,
patrons and close family members of those who worked in four bars in Central,
Wanchai and Tsim Sha Tsui.
As most
quarantine centers are near capacity, the government is looking at allowing
those under medical observation for 10 days to go home and continue the
remaining 4 days of their isolation at home. But health officials say there
will be exceptions to the rule, like if the person under quarantine is living
with an elderly person at home.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has also said during a
separate press briefing that recovering patients may be sent to quarantine
facilities, saying it is “unsatisfactory” that patients are made to wait at
home after being confirmed as Covid-19 patients.
“We do not rule out that the authority may transfer
recovering patients to other sorts of quarantine centres, with one possibility
being the current quarantine centres under the Centre for Health Protection,”
Lam said.
According
to the Hospital Authority, 12 confirmed infected people were still waiting for
admission as of 3pm.
Work is now underway to open 400 beds in hospital wards to serve as second-tier isolation rooms where the less sick or recovering patients will be moved, to free up space for the new patients.
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