Advertisement
No need to bring back mask mandate, social-distancing curbs despite rising Covid cases, Hong Kong health minister says
- Reintroducing mask mandate will have negative impact on society, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau says
- Lo also warns flu season has not peaked yet and it usually takes 12 to 16 weeks for it to subside
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
3
Hong Kong does not need to bring back its mask mandate and other social-distancing curbs even though Covid-19 and flu cases are on the rise, the city’s health minister has said, adding that reintroducing the face covering directive would have a negative impact on society.
Advertisement
But Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Saturday also warned that the flu season, which began this month, had not peaked yet and typically took 12 to 16 weeks to subside.
During a television interview, Lo also said Covid-19 cases were rising, with respiratory tract nucleic acid screening showing a positive result in almost four out of every 100 tests, marking a fourfold increase from the lowest point, when less than one positive case was detected per 100 samples.
The trend matched with the situation observed at public hospitals, he said.
Advertisement
Advertisement