Hong Kong reviews COVID restrictions

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Hong Kong’s leader said Sunday that the government would consider lifting strict social distancing measures as new COVID-19 infections in the city continue trending downward.

“I wouldn’t promise now that there’s room for adjustment,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said. “But following a review, we have a duty to account for the findings in this review and the direction we will take.”

Hong Kong is in the middle of a massive outbreak, recording more than 1 million total cases in the city of 7.4 million. The city has been hit hard, with mortuaries full as they try to cope with a high number of deaths. Hong Kong has so far refrained from a strict citywide lockdown like those that China regularly imposes to control the spread of the coronavirus.

But new infections in the city have been declining.

In early March, Hong Kong reported more than 50,000 new infections in one day. On Saturday, it recorded 16,583 new cases.

Lam said she would present the review’s findings Monday.