Health

Hong Kong on alert over case surge as Tokyo tallies COVID-19 daily record

(Update 1: Adds quotes from district councilor and education bureau chief to Hong Kong section, changes order of headline and lead)

Hong Kong/Tokyo, Jul 10 (efe-epa).- Hong Kong was on high alert on Friday amid a surge in infections as Tokyo set a new record for coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day.

Hong Kong authorities reported that the special administrative region had recorded at least 30 new coronavirus cases Friday, boosting the severity of the rebound detected throughout the week.

The number of new positives in the city, which had not registered any new cases for weeks, totaled 14 on Tuesday, 24 on Wednesday and 42 on Thursday.

Fears were growing over a Sha Tin public housing estate where at least 10 residents were taken to hospital by ambulance on Thursday night.

Local district councilor Yau Man-chun told Efe he had spotted several residents of the estate leaving the building in haste upon hearing of the fresh infections in the vicinity.

“I told them they were being selfish,” Yau said.

“Much as we are unhappy with our government, they should wait for instructions from the authorities. Moving out to wherever you want to go may pose a risk to other communities. We’ve been doing very well in Hong Kong. We need to stay united and cautious,” the local representative added.

The new cases were also linked to a nursing home in Kowloon, a noodle shop and a bistro in three different areas, and infections have also been detected among some taxi drivers.

Hong Kong authorities were quick to respond to the infection clusters and on Thursday reimposed certain restrictions, such as capacity limits for bars and restaurants from Saturday for two weeks.

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