Hong Kong fourth wave: health experts urge tougher crowd controls to rein in Covid-19 infections as 41 new cases emerge

Government urged to cap the number of people at shopping centres and wet markets and consider requiring people visiting country parks to wear masks

Authorities tracking clusters involving workers at occupational therapy department at public hospital, ambulance depot, ferry company and construction sites

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Hikers flocked last week to Lau Shui Heung Reservoir, which sits along one of the city’s most popular trails. Photo: Felix Wong

Elizabeth Cheung,Kathleen MagramoandThomas Shum

Published: 2:10pm, 11 Jan 2021Updated: 11:28pm, 11 Jan 2021

Health experts have warned that Hong Kong could undo its success in containing the fourth wave of the coronavirus if residents continued to pack popular gathering spots heading into the Lunar New Year holiday.

The government should consider limiting crowd sizes at shopping centres and wet markets, as well as require mask-wearing at country parks, to keep driving down Covid-19 numbers, they said on Monday, as health authorities revealed another 41 new infections. Fresh cases involved clusters at a public hospital, an ambulance depot, a ferry operator and two construction sites. To better carry out contract tracing, the government also launched a new command centre with about 100 staff members to start.

While the daily caseload had fluctuated between 20 and 60 over the past week, respiratory medicine specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu suggested the numbers could have fallen faster.

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“[The slow drop] reflects that there were silent transmission chains over the festive period two weeks ago, as there were many social gatherings at shopping malls and at country parks,” he said. “During holidays, popular outdoor spots could also be closed off if too many people are gathered there.”

Visitors to country parks are not required to wear masks, nor are people engaged in exercise.

But Leung conceded that extreme social-distancing measures would weaken the economy and endanger people’s livelihoods if they were enforced throughout the Lunar New Year holiday that begins in mid-February.

The government has already stepped up preventive measures to limit the number of customers at restaurants and capped public gatherings at two people, but residents have been packing retail hotspots and crowds are massing along popular nature trails. Leung called for reducing capacity at shopping centres and requiring hikers to wear masks to bring the fourth wave to a close.