Natasha Shadeanna
Image credit: Diliff
Hong Kong takes on a new travel measure in the fight to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Set to take effect midnight Wednesday (March 25), non-residents will be banned from visiting for 14 days as the second wave of imported cases hits the nation. Sales of alcohol in bars are also set to be put in place in efforts to step the spread of infections.
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet, announced the stricter controls as the number of cases reached 356 and warned of a “critical situation”. She also appealed for vigilance and compliance with home-quarantine orders, noting that violators of the quarantine are to face harsh punishments.
As of recent, everyone who has been travelling, including mainland residents who enter Hong Kong, have to follow through with a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Residents returning from Europe and the United States will also have to undergo tests to determine if they are carriers of the virus. Currently, the city’s international airport is to suspend all transit services for the coming two weeks.
Image credit: Rilsluiao
Laws to prohibit the sale of alcohol are also introduced to all licensed eateries, restaurants and pubs. It is expected to affect about 8,600 of these establishments. While the emergency legislation is being drafted, it is not yet specified when the ban will take off. This alcohol ban has not been taken positively by The Bar and Club Association, made up of 300 members, who feels targeted as an industry.
As of Monday, the health authorities said that the number of confirmed cases went up by 39, reaching a total of 356, of which four have succumbed to the virus.
