HK bans 3 more types of venues amid pandemic
The city records 51 cases on Wednesday, 67 percent of which linked to overseas travel
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Wednesday ordered three more types of entertainment venues to close for 14 days while reporting 51 new cases of the novel coronavirus, with the youngest patient an infant only 40 days old.
Starting from 6 pm on Wednesday, Hong Kong’s karaoke lounges, mahjong parlors and nightclubs were required to shut down for 14 days to contain the pandemic.
The government also regulated the city’s beauty parlors, massage parlors and clubhouses to strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures. People have to wear face masks in these premises, and get their temperatures checked at entrances. The places were also ordered to offer hand sanitizer.
Offenders of the two regulations face a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$50,000 ($6,450).
The regulations came after all seven patrons at a karaoke gathering, and an employee at a beauty parlor, were confirmed to be infected with the virus.
In addition to five cases confirmed earlier, two more people who had visited a karaoke lounge in Tsim Sha Tsui on March 24 were also confirmed on Wednesday. The same day, a practitioner at a beauty parlor in Tsim Sha Tsui was found with the virus. The beautician served a customer who later was also confirmed to be infected. The beautician wore a face mask but the customer did not.
Talking to the press on Wednesday evening, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the regulation has been put into effect as those places are infection risks.
She explained that it might be hard for customers to wear face masks all the time in beauty parlors. Yet the service providers must do so to minimize the risk of infection, she stressed.
The regulation was announced just minutes before it took effect, giving little time for practitioners to make adjustments. Chan defended the decision to issue the new measures so quickly. She said this was common practice when handling public health problems.
To allow business operators to adapt to the new regulation, violators will be warned during the initial period of implementation, Chan said.
Earlier in the day, all six types of venues were added to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation. Under the regulation, the government can close listed venues or restrict their operations.
The government had earlier ordered closures of leisure venues including gyms, cinemas, game centers, party rooms, bathhouses and playgrounds, starting from Saturday.
Public gatherings of more than four people were also banned, restaurants were required to ensure at least 1.5 meters of distance between tables.
The city recorded 51 new COVID19 cases on Wednesday, including a 40-day-old boy, who was hospitalized after getting a fever. The baby is in stable condition.
The infant’s parents have tested negative for the virus, but a female friend of his parents who was later confirmed to be infected had hugged the baby on March 20.
A total of 34 of the newly confirmed patients had recently traveled outside Hong Kong, including 15 students returning from overseas, a flight attendant and a pilot.
Hong Kong is not only threatened by the spreading COVID-19 pandemic partly due to irresponsible individual behavior but also a shortage of hospital beds equipped to prevent cross-contamination. In order to effectively contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the city — one of the most densely populated in the world — the SAR government has stepped up efforts such as banning gatherings of more than four people in public venues and heavier deterrence against quarantine violations.
However, a sudden influx of Hong Kong residents from overseas, mainly college students fleeing foreign cities hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as well, has created a wave of confirmed infection cases. As a result, all available isolation wards at public hospitals are now fully occupied, but more than 40 patients are waiting for negative pressure wards because the turnover rate at public hospitals cannot keep up with the increase of infected cases.
It is fair to say the SAR government has done its best to handle the public health emergency situation effectively, thanks in part to its experience containing the SARS epidemic 17 years ago. Nevertheless, the current war on COVID-19 is much more difficult and Hong Kong was caught underprepared, as were most if not all developed economies in the world. They share the inherent constraints of free markets and private ownership, which leave the government with more challenges than options when it comes to emergency management solutions. As such, they have invariably become victims of their own prejudices in more ways than one, compared with what the Chinese mainland has achieved in getting the situation under control. Hong Kong has benefited a lot from an early start and experience in handling the SARS crisis but has still fallen short in front of the unprecedented scale and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the growing danger of losing control over the public health emergency situation, it is time the SAR government enlisted the private sector more than it has ever done under such circumstances while utilizing all public resources at its disposal to ease the shortage of negative pressure facilities.
In addition to using vacant isolation wards at private hospitals, the health authorities should consider converting small hotels in less densely populated districts into temporary normal pressure isolation wards to help ease the pressure on public hospitals. If these private establishments are not enough, the government may have to ask local universities and colleges for help.
Meanwhile, the deteriorating epidemic situation in Hong Kong, as evidenced by the doubling of confirmed COVID-19 cases in just a week to over 700, justifies the government’s latest move on Wednesday to tighten restrictions on private as well as public gatherings throughout the city, such as the temporary shutdown of all karaoke lounges, mahjong parlors, beauty parlors, massage establishments, nightclubs and clubhouses. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and no one is exempt from responsibility.